The Work Package 4 (WP4) represents the advanced level of the RENATURE training pathway and aims to provide in-depth operational competences on Nature-based Solutions (NbS), with a specific focus on their practical application, management, and co-management across different contexts. The programme is designed to support students and learners in developing the ability to effectively use NbS in professional settings, contributing to green jobs opportunities and strengthening the resilience of natural and human-modified systems

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WP4 develops an advanced educational programme based on digital Open Educational Resources (OERs), structured around three main environmental contexts in which NbS are applied: natural systems, semi-natural systems, and anthropized systems. This approach allows NbS to be understood not only as environmental solutions, but as operational tools to improve the sustainability of human activities across different sectors.

The first module, dedicated to natural systems, presents NbS applicable in contexts such as forests and aquatic environments, aiming to enhance the sustainability of activities such as forestry and aquaculture. The second module, focused on semi-natural systems, explores the role of NbS in improving the sustainability of activities such as agriculture and livestock farming, contributing to more resilient and adaptive production systems. The third module addresses anthropized systems, particularly urban contexts, and analyses solutions such as green roofs and rain gardens, which improve quality of life and enhance cities’ capacity to adapt to climate change.

For each type of NbS, the programme explores the co-benefits generated across the three dimensions of sustainability, highlighting their contribution to ecosystem services — provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural — and analysing how these solutions can be implemented through participatory approaches such as CDD, CBNRM, and ICDP. It also examines the related professional opportunities and the main funding instruments supporting the mainstreaming of NbS, such as rural development programmes, forest management plans, and urban resilience strategies.

From a pedagogical perspective, the programme maintains a structure consistent with the introductory level, but with more advanced and application-oriented content. Each module includes a teaching manual, a teaching presentation, and an assessment tool, making the materials immediately usable in educational contexts. As in WP3, a key component of WP4 is the participatory validation process. The materials are tested in each partner country with the involvement of experts, teachers, and learners, as well as Associated Partners, in order to collect feedback and improve their effectiveness, quality, and applicability.

The final result is a validated, ready-to-use advanced educational programme. The contents are available in digital format, in English and in the six languages of the partnership, ensuring wide accessibility at the European level, enabling the development of technical and operational competences on Nature-based Solutions and facilitating young people’s access to the sustainable labour market.

Through WP4, RENATURE consolidates the transition from knowledge to action, providing concrete tools for applying NbS in different contexts and contributing to the development of more sustainable and resilient systems.

WP5 – Digital Application for Exercises on Nature-based Solutions