The First Festival of Transformative Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) in Croatia, organized in partnership with the City of Zagreb and the University of Zagreb’s Faculty of Agriculture, successfully concluded on April 9, 2025, marking a significant milestone in advancing climate resilience through nature-based approaches.
Nailed it!
Download the Outcomes of the First Arcadia Festival!
Highlights and key themes
- Diverse participation and international collaboration: the event attracted a broad range of stakeholders, underscoring the growing interest in NBS as a critical tool for climate adaptation. It showcased success stories from Croatia, the Netherlands, Italy, Romania, and other countries, illustrating the global potential of NBS to drive transformative change.
- Expert insights: over 40 esteemed speakers shared expertise across governance, regulations, tools, and methods for NBS implementation, financing, and valuing nature. This included high-profile figures such as Julije Domac, Director of the North-West Croatia Regional Energy and Climate Agency; Tomislav Tomašević, Mayor of Zagreb; Aleksandar Mešić, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture; Željko Vuković, State Secretary at the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition; and Bojan Linardić, Head of the Institute for Spatial Development.
- Comprehensive programme: the festival featured conference sessions, round tables, and interactive workshops covering topics such as mainstreaming adaptation into local decision-making, integrating NBS into urban planning, green infrastructure, climate risk assessment tools, financing NBS, and learning from real-world success stories. Participants engaged in networking opportunities fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange.
Institutional salutes
- Arianna Cecchi – Project Coordinator, ART-ER (IT)
- The progress of the Mission Adaptation and main actions to tackle climate change across Europe, Philippe Tulkens – Head of Unit Climate & Planetary Boundaries Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, European Commission
- Julije Domac – Director, North-West Croatia Regional Energy and Climate Agency
- Aleksandar Mešić – Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb
- Bojan Linardić – Head, 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
Policy and decision-makers introduction
- Ines Androić – Head, 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, 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
Download presentations from all speakers
We are pleased to announce that presentations from all sessions of the First Festival of Transformative Nature-based Solutions are now available for download. These materials provide valuable insights into the latest research, policy frameworks, practical tools, and real-world case studies discussed during the event.
Session 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, 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, 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 Transformative Change across regions – Mohsen Soleymani, Climate Adaptation & Regional Innovation Designer & Producer, Climate KIC
Session 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
- SaferPlaces Platform: empowering cities with Nature-based Solutions for flood resilience – Stefano Bagli, GECOS
- Co-Designing a Climate Risk Service – The example of drought impacts on agriculture in Austria – Stefan Kienberger, Head of RiskLab, GeoSphere Austria
- Taking care on Green Infrastructure on national and local level: GIS-based tools: Ivan Lukić – Head of Digital Reality and GIS Solutions / 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
Session finance and values, leveraging values of nature
- The cost-benefit and equity outcomes of Nature-based Solutions – Marta Vicarelli, Assistant Professor, University of Massachusetts (watch the video)
- Overview of NbS financing: perspectives and challenges, 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 (GEP): the economic value of ecosystem services. A study case in Italian Apennines – Alessandro Bosso, Expert, ART-ER
Success stories: real-world cases of NBS
- Dutch Championships tile flipping 2020-2025: urban de-sealing and climate adaptation through citizen engagement – 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
Future directions
The success of the inaugural festival sets a strong foundation for future events focused on advancing NBS and climate resilience. Croatian partners emphasised ongoing efforts such as co-innovation labs addressing urban heat islands, flood protection, and biodiversity to improve urban quality of life.
“The ARCADIA Festival represents a significant step forward in our collective efforts to build climate resilience through Nature-based Solutions. We are thrilled by the overwhelming response and look forward to continuing this momentum”.
This landmark event underlines the critical role of transformative, community-led nature-based solutions in shaping a sustainable and climate-resilient future. The collaboration between research institutions, local authorities, and international partners demonstrated at the festival is essential for scaling up effective climate adaptation strategies across Europe and beyond.