Call for Sessions

This conference is framed around five themes, each theme is kicked off by two plenary keynote speeches of 20 min, followed by a discussion. After the plenary session a range of different parallel sessions and workshop will be organised. 

For each of theme we would like to INVITE YOU to submit a session proposal. We also want to stress that the conference is not only for scientists, but also warmly would like to invite people from outside the scientific world.

The themes:

1. NATURE BASED SOLUTIONS FOR AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL AREAS (SOIL, WATER AND LANDSCAPE)

NBS must be applied in agriculture, forestry and natural areas to achieve sustainable management. The NBS are usually smaller scaled and based on soil or landscape solutions but they must be applied upon policies that apply strategic solutions for regions and countries. In this theme, we focus on different climatic zones that need different solutions as well as tailor made solutions for different land uses such as vineyards, grassland, arable land, orchards, forest and plantations. Topics like changes in connectivity of water and sediment, sustainable land management options in intensive and extensive agriculture or social, economic, biophysical and perception constraints are welcome. A local, regional and international perspective will be shown from a research, applied and land-user perspective.

2. NATURE BASED SOLUTIONS FOR NATURAL HAZARDS (FIRE, FLOODS AND DROUGHTS)

Floods, droughts, and fires have always been part of the earth system. Nevertheless, anthropogenic pressures such as poor urban planning, water resources mismanagement, and climate change tend to increase their frequency and severity. As climatic extremes exceed past envelope curves, conventional management approaches lose their effectiveness and often become irrelevant. Nature-based approaches offer sustainable solutions that build on concepts of ecosystem resilience, or even anti-fragility. In this theme we focus on such Nature-based Solutions for nature hazard mitigation and management. Modeling as well as applied studies are welcome.

3. SCIENCE BROKERS FOR TRANSITIONING TO A CLIMATE RESILIENT AND CIRCULAR SOCIETY

Land and soil services are the key in transitions towards climate resilience and circularity. This asks for awareness raising, closing of cycles (foot print), restoration and sustainable land use and management as well as multiple use of land. It is about achieving public goals with private means (land stewardship and trade offs): society is at stake! Under this theme we like to focus on examples and concepts on how to achieve these transitions in cooperation with stakeholders and or citizens. Share your projects and experiences on transition guidance, (policy) instruments, management and monitoring, awareness building, stakeholder participation, networks and CoP’s.

4. NATURE BASED SOLUTIONS FOR LAND AND WATER MANAGEMENT IN URBAN AND INDUSTRIAL AREAS (SOIL, WATER AND SPATIAL PLANNING)

Nature Based Solutions are in many cases the option of choice for policy- and decision-makers and other urban professionals when they want to increase their cities’ resilience vis a vis the effects of climate change and increase the liveability of the urban surroundings. In this topic we would like to explore the role of soils in the urban setting and the water management challenges, aiming to have sessions on:

• The importance of soils for effective green-blue and other nature based solutions
• Water management: what are the main challenges and opportunities for NBS under variable climate settings, ranging from humid to dry regions
• What is the role of soil and water resources and NBS for urban biodiversity
• Soil and water contamination, can NBS be used to mitigate pollution
• Spatial planning and the financial value of green assets
• The need for partnership and multi-stakeholder involvement in realizing NBS in cities

Organisation: The parallel sessions can have different formats: 

•     traditional oral/poster sessions, 
•     panel discussions where questions from the audience could be brought in through sending an email or tweet that that will be displayed on the screen;  
•     two minute presentations connected to poster or computer screen discussions afterwards; 
•     pressure cooker session on specific societal case;
•     world café setting
•     any other type of format the organisers of the sessions will come up with. 

We especially aim to create new formats using interactive methods to facilitate as much discussion as possible. In oral/poster sessions, poster pitches will be standard in each oral session connected to the posters.