Plans for the Future:
Nature-based Solutions are quite a new concept for the majority audiences in China even though China has developed a lot at the national level like the launch of ten cases of NbS in the national level and China working with New Zealand on promoting NbS in the country level. The technical solutions for cities, academics and enterprises are attractive and the opportunities are huge. The plans for the development of UbN in China, ICLEI-EAS will focus on advocating NbS in the context of Chinese cities and work with diverse stakeholders to apply the technical solutions of Nbs to address the challenges and needs of cities. The current HZ2020 Connecting with Nature project and UbN methodology are the support and start point of developing internal and external network and capacity of ICLEI-EAS in China.
Ideas for partnerships and collaborations:
The CBD COP 15 city summit is the best opportunity to develop partnerships and collaborations with cities and other stakeholders in China. The potential partnerships in China are: National Nature Resource Bureau which is the main stakeholder in the national level to develop NBS in China. The other potential partners are research institutes and international NGOs in China such as IUCN. Of course, the basic and foundational partnerships are with local governments and cities in China to develop Nbs in China.
Funding opportunities:
Public procurement from cities in China; Fund support from other foundations in China
Relevant local/Regional events:
CBD COP15 City Summit ( special parallel session on Nbs), Forum in Chengdu( every year), World City Day( Shanghai), Guangzhou Award (yearly).