ICLEI South Asia, in collaboration with ICLEI World Secretariat and ICLEI Africa Secretariat, organised a session on ‘Nature-based Solutions: Green Blue Strategies and Tools’ at the ICLEI World Congress in Malmo, Sweden on the 13th of May 2022. The session aimed to showcase replicable innovative green-blue nature-based solution tools and strategies deployed in several cities of the world (Brazil, India, Tanzania). It also highlighted the importance of integrating nature in land use, infrastructure, and investment planning since the conservation of natural ecosystems is the need of the hour.

The speakers for the session were – Gabriel Dias Mangolini Neves, Environmental Engineer, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Brazil; Alphonce Kyessi, Prof. Dr. Professor Ardhi University, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; and Dr. Rajan Chedambath, Director Centre for Heritage, Environment and Development, Kochi Municipal Corporation, India. The session was moderated by Dr. Monalisa Sen, Programme Coordinator (Biodiversity), ICLEI South Asia.

During the session, the participants were familiarised with the use of innovative planning tools such as Thematic Atlas and Natural Assets Maps. Some urban strategies such as Biodiversity Connectivity Strategies, Local Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans, Ecosystem-Based Urban Planning, and Green Blue Strategy were also discussed. Talking about the nature-based solutions, Dr. Chedambath spoke about ecosystem restoration in Kochi as part of the INTERACT-Bio project, supported through the International Climate Initiative of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building, and Nuclear Safety, Germany.

“We followed a participatory approach for developing a Local Biodiversity Strategic Action Plan. Kochi is the first city that involved thousands of people in the process,” he said.

The cities of Campinas, Dar es Salaam, and Kochi showcased the different tools and strategies developed through participatory processes, their implementation, benefits, and how they could be scaled and replicated in other cities through video presentations.