Empowering change-makers for climate resilience
The first Arcadia festival on community-led adaptation in Croatia – 9 April 2025 – is dedicated to empowering change-makers for climate resilience through Nature-based Solutions (NBS). By fostering the exchange of knowledge, tools, and best practices, the Festival aims to equip local and regional actors with the means to adapt to climate challenges and implement effective, sustainable solutions. This initiative highlights the importance of collaboration, innovation, and community engagement in building a climate-resilient future.
Achieving climate resilience demands a fast and transformative approach, one that embraces a holistic vision combining research, innovation, policy, finance, and local community collaboration.
At the heart of ARCADIA are eight European regions and their communities, recently impacted by extreme meteorological events intensified by climate change. These territories serve as living laboratories for developing and testing durable, large-scale NBS solutions.
As ARCADIA celebrates its first year, the project marks a milestone with the launch of the inaugural Festival on Nature-based Solutions (NbS). This event represents a unique opportunity to reflect on the valuable insights gained by the 43 diverse partners of the project – spanning public bodies, research centers, universities, and private innovative companies – as they work toward climate resilience through NBS.
Festival objectives and target audience
The Festival is designed to address the needs of policymakers, public technical officers, and practitioners who support public bodies in their mandate to safeguard and enhance the environment amidst growing climate risks.
Find out key objectives of the Festival!
- Understanding the needs of European local decision-makers.
- Raising awareness about the urgency of climate change adaptation and the potential of NbS.
- Exploring opportunities to improve legislative frameworks and standards for implementing NbS.
- Showcasing the latest tools and methods for planning, implementing, assessing, and monitoring NbS projects.
- Highlighting best practices and lessons learnt from Croatia and other international contexts.
- Providing a platform for open discussions and fostering collaboration among peers, scientists, and innovators.
Engaging stakeholders across Europe
The Festival will gather a diverse audience. Discover the guests!
- National and local decision-makers from Croatia and other European regions.
- Public officers and technicians in environmental planning and resource management.
- Practitioners such as agronomists, urban designers, and environmental experts eager to enhance their competencies in NbS.
- Researchers, scientists, NGOs, students, and engaged citizens.
Programme: a day packed with knowledge and collaboration
The one-day Festival will feature a mix of conference-style sessions, round tables, and interactive workshops. The agenda offers opportunities for networking, knowledge exchange, and practical learning.
Agenda
8.30 – 9:30 | Registration
9:30 – 10:00 | Institutional salutes and intro
- The project ARCADIA: objectives of the day – Arianna Cecchi, Project coordinator, ART-ER (IT)
- The progress of the Mission Adaptation and main actions to tackle climate change across Europe – Philippe Tulkens, Mission Adaptation/DG RTD
- Julije Domac – Director of North-West Croatia Regional Energy and Climate Agency
- Representative of City of Zagreb
- Aleksandar Mešić – Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb
- Bojan Linardić – Head of the Institute for Spatial Development, Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets, Croatia
- Željko Vuković– State Secretary, Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition, Croatia
- Tomislav Tomašević – Mayor, City of Zagreb
10:00 – 11:00 | Which are the gaps to make climate adaptation through Nature-based Solutions happen? The perspective of policy and decision-makers
- Ines Androić – Head of the Sector for Green Urban Infrastructure and Circular Management of Space and Buildings, Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets, Croatia
- Roberto Diolaiti – Head of Unit, Forestry and Mountain Areas Development, Emilia-Romagna Region (IT)
- Aljoša Duplić – Head of the National Institute Environmental and Nature Protection, Croatia
- Alexandru Stoica, Head of Landscapes Unit, Sibiu Municipality, Romania
- Hester de Boer, Senior Policy Advisor Climate Adaptation, Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, The Netherlands
11:00 – 11:30 | Coffè break
11:30 – 13:00 | Session 1 – Governance, regulations, and standards
- Mainstreaming adaptation and resilience into decision-making process at the local level – Example of the City of Zagreb – Miljenko Sedlar – Head of the Climate Change Department, REGEA
- All mad about Nature Based Solutions: the need of integration of NBS in urban planning through the case studies of Barcelona, Lisbon and Turin. – Fabio Salbitano, Professor, University of Sassari
- Green roofs and facades. How to avoid legal and administrative aspect get in the way of fighting heat in the urban environment – Tanja Herr, Member, National association of Green roof and facades in Croatia
- Carbon sink in your courtyard – Irena Matković, Deputy Head of City Office for Renovation, Construction, Spatial Planning and Communal Affairs, City of Zagreb
- IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions – Maria Nuñez Rodriguez, Programme Officer Nature-based Solutions, IUCN
- Applying the ARCADIA Scorecard for Transformational Change Across Regions – Mohsen Soleymani – Climate Adaptation & Regional Innovation Designer & Producer, Climate KIC
11:30 – 13:00 | Session 2 – Tools & methods to work with NBS in a changing climate scenario
- CLIMAte risk and vulnerability Assessment framework and toolboX (CLIMAAX) – Jeremy Pal, Hydroclimatologist and Environmental Engineer, CMCC
- Safer Places – Stefano Bagli, GECOS
- Co-Designing a Climate Risk Service – The example of drought impacts on agriculture in Austria – Stefan Kienberger – Head of RiskLab, Weather, Climate & Natural Hazards, GeoSphere Austria
- Taking care on Green Infrastructure on National and Local level: GIS-based tools – Ivan Lukić – Head of Digital Reality and GIS Solutions and Domagoj Horvat – GIS Solutions Implementation Specialist, GDI
- Sustainability in practice – Kata Marunica & Nenad Ravnić, Architects, NFO
- ARCADIA Guidance for NBS in practice – Myrthe Koenis, Junior Researcher, Wageningen University
11:30 – 13:00 | Session 3 – Finance and values: leveraging values of nature
- The cost-benefit and equity outcomes of Nature-based Solutions – Marta Vicarelli, Assistant Professor, University of Massachusetts
- Key barriers and enablers for investing in NbS – Joanne Bayer-Linnerooth, Distinguished Emeritus Research Scholar, IIASA TBC
- Overview of NbS financing within DesirMED Project – Vasco Barbosa, Senior Consultant in Territorial Cooperation, Inova+, DesirMED project
- Ecosystem services in Romania – viability on long term – Tudor Stancioiu, Forest expert, Regional Development Agency – Centru, Romania
- Protecting ecosystems and their services with insurance: insights from Naturance Project – Stefano Ceolotto, Risk Assessment and Adaptation Strategies division, Institute for Climate Resilience, CMCC
- Gross Ecosystem Product – Alessandro Bosso, Expert, ART-ER
13:00 – 14:30 | Networking lunch, a chance for participants to connect and share experiences.
14:30 – 16:00 | Session 1 – Governance, regulations, and standards
14:30 – 16:00 | Session 2 – Tools & methods to work with NBS in a changing climate scenario
14:30 – 16:00 | Session 3 – Finance and values: leveraging values of nature
16:00 – 16:30 | Coffè break
16:30 – 18:00 | Learning from success stories: real-world cases of NBS interventions: technical aspects, engagement, costs, impacts
- Tile flipping competition in the Netherlands TBD – Remco Moen Marcar, Co-founder, Frank Lee Creative Agency
- Implementation of Urban Green Infrastructure – FPZ Building – Mladen Jošić, Professor, Faculty of Architecture, University of Zagreb
- Turning Strategies into Reality: Green Infrastructure Success Stories from Bjelovar and Koprivnica – Mateja Leljak, Landscape architect, 3 E PROJEKTI d.o.o.
- NbS systems in spatial planning as part of the circular economy with practical examples – Bruno Juričić, Architect Loodus Punkt & Ariana Modesto – Landscape Architect, Starum
- Generating sustainability credits through innovative forest management strategies – Annachiara Grasso, Forest management and certification specialist, National Park Appennino Tosco Emiliano
- Adapting to Climate Change in the Po River Basin District (IT): NbS and initiatives from the CLIMAX PO Life Project – Jaroslav Mysiak, Principal Scientist, CMCC
18:00 – 20:00 | Networking aperitif, concluding the day with informal discussions over refreshments
Poster session
Would you like to showcase a project on Nature-based Solutions and climate adaptation? A tool, a method, or an approach that you have designed, implemented, or tested in your project?
Please submit your poster in the dedicated session of the Festival by filling out the following form.
Deadline: 28 March 2025
Join us in Zagreb!
With the support of the Municipality of Zagreb and the Croatian Ministry of Environment, the I ARCADIA Festival promises to be a landmark event for advancing NBS and climate resilience. Whether you are a policymaker, a practitioner, or an interested stakeholder, your participation will contribute to shaping a sustainable future for our communities and ecosystems.
Save the date, and be part of this transformative journey!
Acknowledgement
The Festival’s organization is made possible through the constant and dedicated support of the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture, and REGEA.
Furthermore, we extend our sincere appreciation to the Municipality of Zagreb, the Ministry of Environment Protection and Green Transition and the Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets of Croatia.
It is also to be acknowledged the collaboration of the “sister projects” of the NBS4EU cluster, of which ARCADIA is a member: DesirMED, CARDIMED, Land4Climate, MountResilience, Natalie, and NBRACER.
Finally, particular thanks for the significant contributions to the programme go to DesirMED, CLIMAAX, CLIMAX PO and NATURANCE as well as to the projects presenting their progresses and advancements in the poster session:
AcquaGuard, BLUE RECHARGE, DesirMED, GENESIS, GreenScape CE, INFIRE, NATURANCE, NBRACER, RESTORIVER