Accelerating the Adoption of Nature-based Solutions: Community Engagement and Co-creation

We’re excited to announce the 2026 Nature-based Solutions Webinar Series, a four-part learning journey focused on accelerating the adoption of nature-based solutions (NbS). Held every Thursday from January 15th to February 5th, this series explores the four foundational themes that make NbS successful: governance and policy alignment, financing and valuation, community engagement, and knowledge and capacity building. Join us to strengthen your understanding and support climate-resilient, community-rooted development.

This webinar series is organized in partnership with Nature Canada and Nature NB.

Dates: Thursdays, January 15th, 22nd, 29th, February 5th, 2026 (11:30am–12:30pm AST)

Please note that you will need to register for each webinar individually.

Part 1: Governance and Policy Alignment

This session will explore how to incorporate NbS into urban and regional planning, zoning, and climate policies.

Part 2: Financing and Economic Valuation

Join this session to discover strategies for securing sustainable funding and showcasing the economic benefits of NbS.

Part 3: Community Engagement and Co-creation

Part 3 will look at how to build lasting public support through inclusive outreach, co-design workshops, and transparent updates that ensure solutions reflect local priorities and lived experience.

Speaker 1: Michelle Sawka (Simon Fraser University, Action on Climate Team)

Investigating the interactions between science and policy, one can see the challenges of effectively communicating scientific findings to policymakers and vice versa. It is therefore essential to create innovative approaches and models that promote exchange and learning across various sectors and communities, fostering the co-creation of actionable knowledge.

Speaker 2: Louise Adongo (Caprivian Strip)

Louise has extensive experience in systems change, policy, evaluation, strategic planning, and governance, helping municipalities understand why climate plans often stall and how to overcome those hurdles; emphasizing the importance of fostering collaboration between municipalities, community organizations, and local residents; ensuring climate strategies are not only sustainable but also inclusive and community-driven.

Part 4: Knowledge, Data, and Capacity Building

Learn how to build the know-how, data literacy, and capacity needed to implement NbS with confidence in Part 4 of this webinar series.

These four interconnected themes—governance, finance, community, and knowledge—provide a comprehensive foundation for mainstreaming nature-based solutions in urban and regional development. Let’s accelerate nature-based solutions together!