Welcome to the third edition of the ᴇNᴀBʟS newsletter! Since our last update in June 2025, our mission to mainstream Biodiversity and Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) has matured significantly. While our early stages saw the successful launch of our Living Labs in late 2024, we are now seeing those seeds sprout into systemic impact. As we move through 2026—the final year of the project—our focus is on ensuring that the tools, curricula, and insights we have developed leave a lasting legacy within Higher Education and TVET institutions across Europe.

In this issue, we invite you to explore the ᴇNᴀBʟS online platform and take a look at the actionable outputs and publications we recently produced. We also dive into our ongoing efforts to combat environmental disinformation and share the latest hands-on achievements from the seven Living Labs. Complementing these milestones, we spotlight ᴇNᴀBʟS’ work with Task Force 5 (TF5) on NBS education and provide news from our wider network of partner projects.

The ᴇNᴀBʟS Platform: A Central Hub for NBS Resources

The ᴇNᴀBʟS Platform is evolving as a dedicated microsite within Oppla, serving as a central space for consultation and resource sharing. This digital repository ensures that all project outputs remain visible and accessible, securing a long-term impact for the tools we have developed.

While the platform is currently growing, it is designed to become a comprehensive repository featuring:

• Project Results: A centralised collection of all research materials and project findings produced in ᴇNᴀBʟS.
• Educational Modules: Targeted resources specifically designed for TVET and practical skills development.
• Curriculum Integration: Strategic frameworks and suggestions for embedding NBS into HE programmes.

ᴇNᴀBʟS Actionable Outputs & Public Deliverables

Over the course of the project, our consortium has produced a wide range of tangible results designed for immediate institutional use. These range from inspirational guides and online courses to interactive visualisation tools.

In addition to these applied resources, all our submitted Public Deliverables are now available on our website. These include, among others, our strategic reports on Living Lab operational frameworks and the positioning of Biodiversity and NBS within current educational landscapes. These documents provide the rigorous research and evidence-based findings that drive the project’s practical work.

Cultivating Knowledge with ᴇNᴀBʟS

With the ᴇNᴀBʟS’ results now coming together, our partners are actively sharing their findings through a series of new publications. We believe this knowledge is most valuable when shared, providing the academic and professional community with evidence-based insights into the mainstreaming of NBS.

Our latest releases offer a comprehensive look at the role of NBS in a sustainable future, alongside practical activity toolkits for educators. These works also explore the current state of NBS integration across our seven Living Lab countries and the transition from theoretical learning in lecture halls to hands-on experience in the field.

We invite you to explore these findings as we continue to release more insights throughout our final year.

Myths vs Reality

In the age of rapid digital information, environmental conversations can often be clouded by conflicting claims. While misinformation is often accidental, disinformation is a more calculated distortion of facts that can stall ecological progress. At ᴇNᴀBʟS, we believe that even the most effective NBS can be obscured by these misleading narratives.

To provide much-needed clarity, we have launched a new online campaign to address the scepticism often found in public perception. Drawing on the scientific integrity of our project and real-world insights from our Living Labs, we aim to provide clear, evidence-based perspectives.

Since January 2026, we have been debunking one NBS-related myth every Thursday. We invite you to explore the series so far and join us in championing scientific reality.

ᴇNᴀBʟS’ Living Labs

ᴇNᴀBʟS’ seven Living Labs serve as the real-world testing grounds of the project, bridging the gap between academic theory and local environmental action. Moving beyond the planning phase, these labs are now actively co-designing biodiversity-rich green spaces, testing our educational modules with students, and fostering new governance models with local policymakers. By integrating Nature-Based Solutions directly into the field, we are moving from teaching sustainability to building it.

Task Force 5 on NBS Education

Since ᴇNᴀBʟS took over the leadership of Task Force 5 (TF5) in late 2025, our mission has been to foster a pan-European community dedicated to mainstreaming NBS in education. This Task Force is a meeting ground for various Horizon Europe initiatives to share resources, align strategies, and ensure that our collective tools reach the right audiences.

While ᴇNᴀBʟS leads the way, this is a truly collaborative journey. We invite you to meet two of the fellow projects working alongside us in the Task Force:

• NBS Academy establishes a European “Community of Practice” for education providers and policymakers. Their work focuses on developing innovative Initial Teacher Education (ITE) for students entering the profession, as well as Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for experienced teachers. From summer schools to VR-enhanced learning, they are creating a comprehensive resource hub and MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) to support environmental sustainability in schools.
• TRANS-lighthouses explores the strengths and limitations of NBS, promoting participatory governance models for systemic change. In Barcelos, the “Playground is Nature” pilot engages three schools in co-creating greener, more inclusive and resilient playgrounds, fostering youth leadership. It also includes the Secondary School Arboretum as a case study to replicate good practices.

By aligning our efforts, we ensure that the future of NBS education in Europe is integrated, inclusive, and impactful.

What’s Coming Next for ᴇNᴀBʟS?

Interesting News from Our Partner Projects

The ECHO repository (ECHOrepo) is now officially live. This open-access platform allows participants to view the results of their soil samples directly once laboratory testing and processing are complete. Beyond individual results, the ECHOrepo serves as a public resource for anyone interested in tracking soil health data and trends across Europe. Visit the repository.

NATURANCE’s final event, the Finance Innovation Festival 2026 held in Brussels and online from 3-5 February 2026, brought together a vibrant community to celebrate and showcase the project’s achievements. Over three dynamic days, participants explored the full innovation journey – from policy and finance to concrete, place-based solutions – highlighting the impact and legacy of nature-driven transformation. Read more.

The NBS Academy project is co-organising, together with Scientix, the STEM Discovery Campaign 2026, a Europe-wide (and beyond) initiative inviting teachers, schools, projects and organisations to celebrate STEM learning and STEM careers by sharing their activities. The campaign runs from 1 February to 30 April 2026 (with a peak of activities between 25 and 30 April), and participants can add STEM actions to the campaign map and explore opportunities such as events and awards. Learn more.

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