Establish interdisciplinary networks within public administrations
Interdisciplinary networks on specific NBS-related topics such as stormwater management or natural hazards can lead to a more cohesive and effective implementation of measures.
Specific Advice
The establishment of networks or working groups across departments or disciplines in public administrations are useful for improving the cohesion between the often fragmented and siloed nature of administrative work.
Such networks can focus on overarching topics such as climate change adaptation, urban greening, NBS and biodiversity or nature risk, but are also useful for individual NBS projects where cross-sectoral knowledge is needed to develop impactful solutions. The networks can also focus on more specific topics (e.g., stormwater management) that involve experts from different departments, including urban planning, urban greening and public spaces, health and safety as well as infrastructure.
Good to Know
Networks last longer if the responsibilities are clearly assigned, there is visible impact of the network’s actions, and the participants see the added benefits of participation.
Informal networks may be more challenging to sustain but once they are established, they can play a considerable role in influencing the NBS and climate resilience agenda.
Observing the impacts generated by the network can take a long time (years).
It is important to consider how the network will be sustained in the long run, for example by appointing the responsibility for maintaining it and allocating the necessary resources.
Context
Sectoral silos at all governance levels and limited cooperation between administrative units are among the most mentioned barriers to widespread NBS implementation and NBS mainstreaming. Different silos can be observed: inter-governmental, cross-ministerial (e.g., between some ministries and municipalities) and intra-structural (e.g., within departments in a municipality). Often, the siloed structure prevents the public administration from reaching the environmental goals or hinders the cooperation needed to build resilience. At the same time, people who are not working directly with NBS may not be aware of their co-benefits, which may result in policy gaps between different sectors.
Horizontal cooperation between complementary departments can strengthen the understanding of NBS benefits, as well as educating people in key positions to provide the basis for strengthening the NBS attractiveness. The purpose of such interdisciplinary internal networks is to facilitate collaboration, which can lead to the development of strategies, guidelines, or recommendations, that are aligned with existing capacities and facilitate the mainstreaming of NBS through targeted implementation. Considering NBS in the larger context of urban planning and zoning, construction and maintenance, as well as urban greening and asset management, can result in finding new areas for NBS and considering more integrated solutions with existing infrastructure.
Examples and Cases
Nordic examples of establishing interdisciplinary networks within public administrations:
#FINLAND – Climate change adaptation working group in Espoo municipality
City of Espoo (southern Finland) is a signatory of the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change and the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy. In 2019, the City of Espoo released the Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan which promotes the approach of breaking silos. In line with this, the Environmental Protection Service Department of the city established a climate change adaptation (CCA) working group consisting of representatives from various departments including to the Environmental and Building Protection Department, City Planning Department and Finance and Economy Department. While some CCA projects are implemented by one department, most of them are implemented by several of them with some projects being run by the mayor’s office. This ensures the topics relevant to CCA are integrated into projects and considered on a holistic level.
More information about the CCA working group can be found here:
Dienhart, C., & Korneeva, E., (2024). Transformative Innovation for better Climate Change Adaptation - Case Study: Espoo, Finland, Gnamus, A. editor(s), Publications Office of the European Union: https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2760/177322.
#NORWAY – inter-agency group on climate adaptation lead by the Norwegian Environment Agency
A national inter-agency group for climate adaptation has been established to coordinate efforts on climate adaptation (‘Direktoratsgruppen for klimatilpasning’). Led by the Norwegian Environment Agency (Miljødirektoratet), this group oversees processes related to assignments and obligations across various sectors. It also facilitates the exchange of information, knowledge and experiences between agencies. Being a driving force for nature-based solutions for climate adaptation is part of this work. The inter-agency group consist of 16 agencies and state-owned companies within transportation (aviation, maritime, railway, roads), fisheries and marine environment, public health, civil protection and emergency preparedness, geographic information, agriculture and food safety, energy, and water resource, flood and landslide management.
In addition, the Norwegian Environment Agency assembled an internal network/working group on NBS specifically.
More information about the inter-agency group can be found here:
The Norwegian Environment Agency’s strategy for coordinating the national efforts on climate adaptation (‘Strategi for Miljødirektoratets koordinering av det nasjonale klimatilpasningsarbeidet 2024-2028’): https://www.miljodirektoratet.no/publikasjoner/2024/februar-2024/strategi-for-miljodirektoratets-koordinering-av-det-nasjonale-klimatilpasningsarbeidet-2024-2028/
The government’s climate status and plan (‘Regjeringens klimastatus og -plan) for 2024-2025: https://www.regjeringen.no/no/dokumenter/regjeringens-klimastatus-og-plan/id3056241/
Other examples from Norway are county-wise climate adaptation networks in Rogaland and Trøndelag, as well as internal networks in the City of Stavanger.
Learn more
Harnessing the Power of Collaboration for Nature-Based Solutions
is a report published by the European Commission that provides insights and practical examples for local decision-makers on how to effectively implement NBS through collaborative approaches. https://www.ecologic.eu/sites/default/files/publication/2023/33001-harnessing-the-power-of-collaboration-for-nbs.pdfUNaLab Municipal Governance for NBS:
The UNaLab project has developed governance guidelines for nature-based solutions, including how to establish interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral collaborations. This report provides a summary: https://unalab.eu/system/files/2020-02/municipal-governance-nature-based-solutions2020-02-17.pdfInternational Obligations
SDG 3
“Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.”SDG 11
“Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.”SDG 17
“Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.”Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, target 14
“Ensure the full integration of biodiversity and its multiple values into policies, regulations, planning and development processes, poverty eradication strategies, strategic environmental assessments, environmental impact assessments and, as appropriate, national accounting, within and across all levels of government and across all sectors, in particular those with significant impacts on biodiversity, progressively aligning all relevant public and private activities, fiscal and financial flows with the goals and targets of this framework.”EU Adaptation Strategy
“More systemic adaptation: Supporting policy development at all levels and all relevant policy fields; including three cross-cutting priorities to integrate adaptation into: macro-fiscal policy; nature-based solutions; and local adaptation actions.”