As the global community prepares for the sixteenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP16) in Colombia, the Ecologic Institute will actively participate in promoting nature-based solutions (NbS), restoration initiatives, and biodiversity finance. With a central theme of "Peace with Nature," this COP is set against Colombia's unique biodiversity and a commitment to amplifying local and indigenous voices.

The Publications Office of the European Union has just released an Independent Expert Report titled "Bridging Continents: Exploring the State-of-Play of Nature-Based Solutions in the EU and LAC: Building a Foundation for Collaboration", which was co-authored by Natalia Burgos and McKenna Davis of Ecologic Institute and Daniela Rizzi. This report delves into the progress, challenges, and opportunities in implementing nature-based solutions (NbS) across the European Union (EU) and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).

On 26 and 27 June 2024, policymakers, researchers, and environmental experts gathered in Brussels for the kick-off conference of the EU-LAC Policy Dialogue on Nature-Based Solutions (NbS). The high-level event aimed to foster collaboration between the European Union (EU) and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) regions on NbS. Natalia Burgos Cuevas and McKenna Davis moderated key discussions on collaboration opportunities and pathways.

Scaling up nature-based solutions (NbS) to deliver their full range of potential benefits requires coordinated efforts to enhance technical skills, devise innovative financing mechanisms, and improve governance. The ‘EU-LAC Policy Dialogue on Nature-based Solutions’ – an initiative led by the Directorate General of Research and Innovation of the European Commission – aims to establish a regular exchange between the EU and Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC) regions around nature-based solutions (NbS) to advance policy uptake and action in both regions.