NATURA Fellowship Hosts
Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience (Old Dominion University)
Regional Node: North America
Location: Norfolk, VA (USA)
Duration of Residency: 15 weeks
Contact: Laura Costadone
Network description: ICAR (Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience), affiliated with Old Dominion University, is a hub for advancing coastal resilience and adaptation strategies through collaborative, applied research and education. Leveraging the expertise of over 50 affiliated professors and fellows, ICAR is committed to interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches, bridging the gap between theory and practice. The institute excels in developing nature-based solutions, such as living shorelines and wetland restoration projects, to address challenges in coastal areas. ICAR fosters robust community partnerships and engages with various sectors and levels of government to create practical, scalable solutions. Additionally, ICAR plays a crucial role in educating and training the next generation of practitioners and leaders in coastal resilience, ensuring a sustained impact on communities facing the brunt of climate change and other environmental pressures.
What do you expect to get out of the fellowship: Hosting a NATURA Fellowship at ICAR provides an excellent platform to boost international collaboration, expand professional networks, and offer invaluable hands-on experience to early career fellows. By collaborating with a fellow from diverse geographical and cultural background, ICAR not only aims to foster global connections and exchange innovative practices in coastal resilience but also to enhance its influence in this field internationally. The fellows will benefit from direct mentorship by ICAR's experienced researchers, engaging in community-focused resilience projects like marsh terracing and urban wetland restoration. This active participation will deepen their understanding of applied research and community dynamics. They are expected to deliver comprehensive reports, contribute to scholarly articles, and present their research findings, helping to disseminate valuable knowledge. The ongoing impact of the fellowship will hopefully extend beyond its term, with fellows continuing to connect ICAR with their communities and institutions, ensuring lasting collaborations and enriched learning for all parties involved.
PlanAdapt
Regional Node: Europe
Location: Global
Duration of Residency: 15 weeks
Contact: Alannah Hofemeier
PlanAdapt is an independent global network-based organisation that provides knowledge services in support of effective, economically just and socially inclusive climate change adaptation and climate risk management around the world, with a particular focus on the Global South. We are a group of ‘thinkers’, that conduct research-for-impact and develop conceptual approaches for adaptation, and ‘doers’ in sectors and contexts where current and future climate risks matter. Core topics of our work are, among others, urban ecosystem-based adaptation and nature-based solutions, climate justice or social innovation. Under the so called 'Climate Co-Adaptation Lab' we convene independent researchers, experts and practitioners from all over the world to seek new transdisciplinary and intercultural ways to earn, learn and grow together.
Ecological Society of America
Regional Node: North America
Location: Washington, DC, USA
Duration of Residency: 15 weeks
Contact: Alison (alison@esa.org)
ESA is beginning its participation in the Convention for Biological Diversity and are interested in developing an ecological Biodiversity Credit Certification program. There are many ESA members (8,000 members) who are experts in nature based solutions. The fellow could also develop policy related papers on urban resilience and nature based solutions that would be published on the ESA website and submitted for publication in one of our 6 journals. The fellow would have great influence in the type of project or program to choose.
Science-based, respected, value driven with a DEI focus and a catalyst for projects and ideas that have impact.
Department Environmental and Geographical Science, and the African Centre for Cities, Both at the University of Cape Town
Regional Node: Africa
Location: City of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
Duration of Residency: 15 weeks
Contact: Pippin Anderson (African Node, UCT, African Centre for Cities)
This fellowship will engagement across the Africa Node, as well as close collaboration with ICLEI, ACC and UCT. The fellowship will be geared towards sourcing and showcasing (towards a shared publication that has already been initiated) NBS work across the continent, demonstrating how this aligns and deviates from global work in the space. There will be opportunities to engage with our postgraduate community and others working in this space. While the node is disparate, in the City of Cape Town there are Pippin Anderson (UCT, primary host) and Ernita van Wyk (ICLEI) who will undertake hosting roles. Opportunities to meet with and engage practitioners such as Jessica Kavonic (C40), Sumetee Pawha Gajjar (Plan-Adapt), Maike Hamman (Centre for Sustainability Transitions), and Joanne Jackson (City of Cape Town) just as examples of practitioners the host works with closely who are locally based and working in the NBS space.
Graduate Center for Planning & the Environment, Pratt Institute
Regional Node: North America
Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA
Duration of Residency: 15 weeks
Contact: Yuliya Dzyuban and Leonel Lima Ponce
Pratt Institute’s MS in Sustainable Environmental Systems is an interdisciplinary, systems-based sustainability program. This STEM certified degree program combines environmental science, sustainable design, and climate policy through a lens of environmental and climate justice. Through professional faculty and praxis courses across the Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment, we have over six decades of collective expertise grounded in inclusive and participatory planning, design, policy-making and science, fostered through grassroots, professional, and public sector partnerships in New York City and beyond. The selected NATURA Fellow would have access to this network through our classes, faculty, projects and research. During the proposal stage, and upon the Fellow’s arrival, we would facilitate introductions to relevant academic, professional and community partners, and collaborate as needed and feasible to support the identification and developing of research scopes that support the common interests of the Fellow and community partner, and of our degree program.
Participatory research, community engagement, environmental justice, interdisciplinary practice based
MUST Strategic Research Council Project
Regional Node: Europe
Location: 00500 Helsinki
Duration of Residency: 6 weeks
Contact: Christopher Raymond
The "Enabling multispecies transitions of cities and regions (MUST) project is a network of 9 research institutions and over 50 stakeholder organisations across Finland and internationally which investigate possibilities for integrating core principles of multispecies justice into NBS planning. The network, funded by the Strategic Research Council of Finland, aims to support a global 'multispecies movement'. The network is able to host researchers passionate about multispecies justice and NBS from around the world.
Commission on Ecosystem Management, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Eastern Europe
Regional Node: Europe
Location: Tbilisi Georgia
Duration of Residency: 15 weeks
Contact: Dr. Kakha NADIRADZE
Collaboration, sharing of experience and best practices on using NBS and networking for future joint projects
Commission, Ecosystem, Management, Biodiversity, Habitats
European Forest Institute
Regional Node: Europe
Location: Bonn (Germany)
Duration of Residency: 15 weeks
Contact: Rik De Vreese (Email)
EFI is coordinating the Sino-European CLEARING HOUSE project on urban forests and urban trees as providers of nature-based solutions. EFI is responsible for the governance WP, and the co-design WP. EFI is also cooperating with the European Forum on Urban Forestry (EFUF, http://www.efuf.org), a network of urban forest researchers, professionals and decision makers.
Urban Biodiversity Hub
Regional Node: North America
Location: virtual, but registered in BC, Canada.
Duration of Residency: 15 weeks
Contact: Jennifer Rae Pierce (Email)
We offer connections to index creators and target development for urban biodiversity as well as access to the largest database of current activities for urban biodiversity. We are a global organization with connections around the world.
ReNature Project and MCAST Malta
Regional Node: Europe
Location: Paola, Malta
Duration of Residency: 6 weeks (open to 15 weeks)
Contact: Mario Balzan (Email)
The ReNature network aims to establish and implement a nature-based solutions research strategy with a vision to promote research and innovation and develop solutions for economic development whilst at the same time improving human well-being and tackling environmental challenges.
We work on the following topics: mapping and assessment of ecosystem services and nature-based solutions; modelling of biodiversity and ecosystem services across spatio-temporal scales; advancing the application of ecological and environmental sciences for the sustainable intensification of management in cultural landscapes, with a focus on agricultural and urban ecosystems; and fostering the uptake of nature-based solutions to societal challenges, including climate change, through co-creation and stakeholder engagement.
We have been engaging with stakeholders in planning, business, environment, health, infrastructure and others, to build capacity and develop a research and innovation cluster for nature-based solutions.
Connecting Nature (+NovelEco)
Regional Node: Europe
Location: Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Duration of Residency: 6 weeks
Contact: Marcus Collier (Email)
Coordinated by Trinity College Dublin, Connecting Nature is a consortium of 30 partners within 16 European countries, and hubs in Brazil, China, Korea & The Caucasus (Georgia and Armenia).
USDA Forest Service—UNAVAILABLE UNTIL NEW CONTACT IDENTIFIED
Regional Node: North America
Location: Nationwide (U.S.) - particularly NYC and Baltimore
Duration of Residency: 6 weeks
Contact: Sarah Hines (Email)
A variety of forest restoration, urban wood economy, stewardship and governance and more. Connection with substantial networks of researchers and practitioners.
REDESCLIM, El Colegio de Veracruz
Regional Node: Latin America and Caribbean
Location: Xalapa, Mexico
Duration of Residency: 6 weeks
Contact: Ofelia Andrea Valdés Rodríguez, member of REDESCLIM (Email)
REDESCLIM is focussed in hidrometeorological research and the impacts over the nature and the society. El Colegio de Veracruz is located in the state of Veracruz, and we are focussed in analyzing climate change and its impact over the state. We are also studying the effects of the agroclimatic conditions over the productivity and antioxidative effects of Moringa oleifera. They are willing to receive any student or researcher who would like to study in the region.
Get to know REDESCLIM and what an exchange with them might look like by watching this video!
Western Center for Metropolitan Extension and Research (WCMER)
Regional Node: North America
Location: TBD (somewhere in North America)
Duration of Residency: 6 or 15 weeks
Contact: Brad Gaolach, gaolach@wsu.edu
The Western Center for Metropolitan Extension and Research works to increase the internal capacity of Western Extension programs to address metropolitan issues and to elevate the stature and value of Cooperative Extension to external metropolitan audiences. We work in 2 main areas: community-based applied research and professional development for urban practitioners. Topics of current focus include:
Urban Agriculture
Green infrastructure, including green storm water infrastructure and health benefits of GI.
Wildland-Urban Interface, especially related to wildfires and urban smoke
Food, energy, water systems (FEWS)
Community engaged projects like training volunteers in nature based solutions.
The Central Arizona–Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research
Regional Node: North America
Location: Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.A.
Duration of residency: 6 weeks
Contact: Dan Childers, Director of CAP LTER Program, dan.childers@asu.edu
CAP LTER is well known for its 25+ years of interdisciplinary social-ecological urban research, education, outreach, and community engagement. Much of the current research being conducted by CAP scientists is focused on Urban Ecological Infrastructure and its use in NBS work. With nearly 100 potential research mentors/advisors, CAP hopes to enhance networking with international students, early-career scientists, and practitioners focused on urban resilience and sustainability.
GoGreenRoutes
Regional Node: Europe
Location: Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland
Duration of residency: 15 weeks
Contact: Tadhg E. MacIntyre, Coordinator of GoGreenRoutes, tadhg.macintyre@mu.ie
The EU-funded GoGreenRoutes project comprises 40 partners and focuses on promoting urban health through NBS, supported by digital and social innovation. Six cities are targeted with additional interlinkages to Munich, Murcia region, and Gzira, Malta and dissemination activity with Georgia, Mexico City and Beijing, China. The transdisciplinary consortium will pioneer a unique approach to nature-based solutions by creating green corridors and cultivating a positive human-nature relationship. The project’s goal is to position European citizens as world ambassadors of urban sustainability. Advancing mental health and well-being, the project's components will focus on nature-based enterprise, sustainable physical activity, and digital, cultural, and knowledge innovation. A knowledge ecosystem with urban communities will raise awareness about links between human and environmental health.The expectation is that exchange participants could contribute towards a report or output which is a specific deliverable. We have more flexibility regarding other opportunities for outputs or activities which may not be explicitly linked to deliverables but would add to the projects impact. For example, we are concerned with the opportunity and threat to urban lives that derive from COVID19 challenges. Moverover, the long term ramifications of our innovations provide a further opportunity for collaborations to optimise societal impact.In sum, we would expect that an exchange would lead to one of the following:
A pilot study of a novel approach to NBS or social or digital innovation
A published or submitted peer review output relating to either empirical research or conceptual papers on a relevant topic
A workshop programme that upskills members of the Academy Cluster (our learning ecosystem for early career researchers and innovators)
SETS Convergence: UREx SRN
Regional Node: North America
Location options:
1) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.
2) Phoenix, AZ, USA
Duration of residency: 15 weeks
Contact: David Iwaniec, diwaniec@gsu.edu for Atlanta, GA locations and Mikhail Chester, mchester@asu.edu for Phoenix, AZ location
The Converging Social, Ecological, and Technological Infrastructure Systems (SETS) for Urban Resilience project is a 5 year initiative to accelerate advances in convergent urban systems science capable of providing cities with the knowledge and methods for building integrated SETS resilience strategies to extreme events, supported by cutting-edge modeling, simulation, and visualization of infrastructure systems. The project will develop and refine an urban resilience conceptual framework to guide an emerging, convergent urban systems science for cities to test and deploy in San Juan (PR), Atlanta, New York, and Phoenix.