About CLEARING HOUSE

Our main focus: nature-based solutions

Our project addresses a global challenge that unites European and Chinese cities in their quest to develop more resilient cities and liveable societies in order to improve human wellbeing. Our main focus is on tree-based green infrastructure which is the basis for “urban forests as nature-based solutions”.

Urban Forests as nature-based solutions (UF-NBS) are a subset of nature-based solutions that build on tree-based urban ecosystems to address societal challenges, simultaneously providing ecosystem services for human well-being and biodiversity benefits. UF-NBS include peri-urban and urban forests, forested parks, small woods in urban areas, and trees in public and private spaces.

They are critically important to facilitate sustainable urban development.

WHY CLEARING HOUSE?

We will analyse and develop the potential of NBS in general, and UF-NBS in particular – across China and Europe – in order to enhance the resilience of cities facing major ecological, socio-economic, and human wellbeing challenges. We will also:

Review existing knowledge on NBS

The project will compile, review and connect the existing knowledge on developing, managing and monitoring NBS and UF-NBS. It will also analyse governance, institutional and economic frameworks, as well as public perceptions and demands in China and Europe.

Carry out Sino-European case studies

The project will analyse case studies of UF-NBS in China and Europe in view of their impacts on urban societies, their cost-effectiveness and their replicability in diverse contexts.

Facilitate learning

The project will facilitate a collaborative learning process on UF-NBS connecting practitioners, businesses, policymakers and scientists from China and Europe to generate and apply new knowledge on UF-NBS.

Develop tools

The project will develop decision support tools and guidelines for cost-effectively governing and managing NBS in general and UF-NBS in particular for enhancing urban resilience and human wellbeing.

Increase NBS awareness

The project will increase awareness on the benefits of NBS in general, and UF-NBS in particular.

OUR PARTNERS

The CLEARING HOUSE project gathers 26 partners in Europe and China, and will provide evidence and tools that facilitate the mobilisation of the full potential of urban forest-based solutions (UF-NBS) for rehabilitating, reconnecting and restoring urban ecosystems.