The ADAPT 2.0

30/04/2026

17/04/2026

🌿 Panorama - Solutions for a Healthy Planet | Nature‑based Solutions in Elbasan, Albania 🌿

📍 A PANORAMA snapshot solution highlights the application of Nature‑based Solutions (NbS) in Elbasan Municipality, 🇦🇱, based on the NbS baseline assessment of the Shkumbini River basin.

🔍 The assessment focused on water management, biodiversity, and socio‑economic and gender aspects, and identified the Gurra catchment as the most appropriate location for piloting NbS measures.
🌱 Two priority NbS interventions were defined:
✅ Forest landscape restoration
✅ Regulation of water flow and sediment transport using check‑dams

🌿 Implementation was finalised in December 2025, with corrective measures completed in May 2026, strengthening the effectiveness and resilience of the interventions.

📎 Learn more:
👉 🌍 PANORAMA Solution: https://bit.ly/4dSFWML
👉 📘 NbS implementation The ADAPT 2.0: https://bit.ly/4sDTG1k

14/04/2026

🌿 What is Pillar 5 of the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans?

How can the Western Balkans protect nature while supporting economic development, , and people’s well‑being? Nature‑based Solutions stand as a key part of the answer. 🌡️

Adopted in 2020 and aligned with the EU Green Deal, the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans sets a shared vision for a sustainable future across the region. This infographic highlights Pillar 5: Protection of Nature and Biodiversity, showing how healthy ecosystems - forests, rivers, wetlands, and seas - support , provide clean water, , and help communities adapt to .

Pillar 5 promotes solutions that work with nature to deliver long‑term benefits for both people and the economy. Nature‑based Solutions play a central role in strengthening resilience, reducing climate impacts, and safeguarding livelihoods.

The infographic also explains who does what, including the role of IIUCN Eastern Europe and Central Asiaas the regional coordinator of Pillar 5 and host of the Biodiversity Task Force WB, as the main platform for regional cooperation on nature and biodiversity.

🌱 Explore the infographic and learn more: https://bit.ly/4swp6Xm

02/04/2026

🌍 A decade of action, and a decade ahead. 🌱

Launched by the Government of Germany and IUCN, the Bonn Challenge is the world’s largest restoration initiative aiming to restore 150 million hectares of degraded and deforested land by 2020 and 350 million hectares by 2030.

🌳 Through the Bonn Challenge, countries across Eastern Europe and Central Asia have made 10 strong pledges to restore forest landscapes, including:
🇦🇲 Armenia - 50,000 ha
🇦🇿 Azerbaijan - 270,000 ha
🇬🇪 Georgia - 9,000 ha
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan - 1,500,000 ha
🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan - 323,000 ha
🇲🇪 Montenegro - 20,000 ha
🇲🇰 North Macedonia - 15,000 ha
🇹🇯 Tajikistan - 66,000 ha
🇺🇦 Ukraine - 1,500,000 ha
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan - 500,000 ha

🌳 These pledges represent a powerful regional commitment to restoring degraded forest landscapes, protecting biodiversity, and taking meaningful climate action.

🌿 At the heart of the Bonn Challenge is Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR), an approach that restores ecological health while supporting the needs and livelihoods of local communities. FLR is more than planting trees; it’s about creating thriving, resilient landscapes for generations to come.

🔗 Learn more about the Bonn Challenge: https://www.bonnchallenge.org/

25/03/2026

23/03/2026

🌍 , observed on 23 March, highlights the urgent need to accelerate and strengthen resilience as climate change intensifies. 🌡️

is placing increasing pressure on ecosystems, economies, and communities around the world, from rising temperatures and extreme weather events to biodiversity loss and growing water scarcity. Building stronger now means adopting approaches that address both environmental and societal vulnerabilities. 🌱💧

🌿 (NbS) are among the most effective pathways for climate change adaptation. By protecting and restoring forests, wetlands, peatlands, rivers, and coastal ecosystems, NbS help reduce , support biodiversity, and deliver long‑term, sustainable benefits for both people and nature. 🌾🌊

📘 Climate Change in 12 Pictures offers a short and accessible guide through the consequences of climate change and possible solutions for adaptation, including the essential role of NbS.
🔗https://bit.ly/47hW1aE

18/03/2026

Ahead of , explore how the Western Balkans Six Forest Landscape Restoration Plan supports across the Western Balkans under GAWB (Pillar 5). 🌱

🎬 The video outlines the planning process, including ROAR assessments, and the work of the Thematic Group on Ecosystem Restoration under Biodiversity Task Force WB (established by Regional Cooperation Council - RCC, coordinated by IUCN Eastern Europe and Central Asia).

Watch the video 👇

Sida - Styrelsen för Internationellt Utvecklingssamarbete

10/03/2026

🌱 Community of Practice on Nature-based Solutions in the Western Balkans

The Community of Practice on Nature-based Solutions (CoP NbS) is a regional platform established to advance the uptake, implementation, and integration of Nature-based Solutions across the Western Balkans. Launched under the ADAPT 2.0: Nature-based Solutions for climate change mitigation and adaptation in the Western Balkans initiative, the CoP brings together a diverse network of practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and civil society organisations committed to strengthening climate resilience and safeguarding ecosystems in the region.

The Community of Practice serves as a collaborative space designed to:

🔹Facilitate knowledge exchange on Nature-based Solutions, including practical experiences, case studies, and emerging approaches across the region.
🔹Support policy integration, helping institutions incorporate NbS principles into climate, biodiversity, land, and water management frameworks.
🔹Encourage access to financing for NbS implementation and scaling.
🔹Connect experts, practitioners, and civil society, fostering regional cooperation and shared learning for transformative action.
Partners and Collaboration

It is join collaboration with EU4Green initiative and IUCN Eastern Europe and Central Asia

🔸 First CoP NbS Meeting

The first gathering of the Community of Practice on NbS took place in March 2025 in Skopje, bringing together representatives from civil society, academia, and relevant institutions. Participants exchanged insights on regional NbS priorities, explored successful case studies from Serbia and Albania, discussed financing mechanisms, and reflected on opportunities to advance NbS in policy and practice.

The third meeting of CoP is expected later this March in Serbia, focusing on Nature-based Solutions Global Standard workshop and a discussion on forest landscape restoration in the region.

Stay tuned!

This inaugural meeting marked an important step in building a sustained regional network dedicated to scaling up Nature-based Solutions.

🎞️Watch the video 👇

04/03/2026

🌿 Publication Reminder: 📘 Nature-based Solutions for Climate: A Compendium of Best Practices in the Western Balkans

Discover how communities across the are harnessing Nature-based Solutions (NbS) to tackle climate change, reduce disaster risks, and protect biodiversity, all while supporting local livelihoods.

This compendium brings together inspiring, practical examples from across the region, showcasing tried-and-tested approaches for adaptation and in diverse landscapes, including coastal zones, forests, lakes, and river basins.

The featured initiatives demonstrate how NbS can:
🌱 Build climate resilience
💧 Reduce flooding and erosion
🌳 Restore degraded ecosystems
🤝 Deliver benefits for both people and nature

As climate impacts intensify, these experiences offer valuable lessons and continue to inspire the replication and scaling-up of effective NbS approaches throughout the region.

🔗 Read the publication:
https://bit.ly/4rdAI19

This compendium was developed within the The ADAPT 2.0, supported by Sweden.

02/03/2026

🌿 Call for Proposals: Report on Nature-based Solutions in the Western Balkans 🔉
⏳ Deadline approaching: 3 March

We are inviting qualified experts and organisations to apply for a consultancy to develop a regional, policy‑oriented report on how Nature-based Solutions (NbS) can enhance biodiversity, climate resilience and societal wellbeing across the Western Balkans.

The report will provide evidence, practical examples and recommendations to help governments strengthen NbS integration into biodiversity, restoration and climate planning, while supporting investment in nature‑positive solutions.

📌 The regional report will:
• Assess the current state and potential of NbS in the Western Balkans
• Quantify ecological and socio‑economic benefits of NbS
• Present regional case studies and lessons learned
• Provide policy guidance aligned with biodiversity and restoration targets
• Include concise summaries tailored for policymakers and donors

🔗 More information and full documentation:
https://bit.ly/3sNVVGs

This report will serve as a key advocacy and planning tool for advancing biodiversity and restoration commitments in the and strengthening cooperation under the .

🌱 This is launched as part of our ADAPT 2.0 project, supported by Sweden (Sida).