Nature based solutions - potential, pitfalls and goal conflicts

The course will give advanced knowledge on the definition, importance, pitfalls, and uses of different NBS to tackle environmental and societal problems. The course will first give a broad background about different types of NBS and then focus on a few of them to provide deeper knowledge, including examples from forestry, urban environments and landscape management. The course will treat NBS from an international perspective (e.g., IPCC, IPBES and the EU commission) but will also look at how the concept is used at the national level, including different local examples. The teaching is conducted in the form of lectures, seminars, exercises, and field trips. During the course several written reports from seminars and exercises are to be handed in and presented orally. The course has an active learning focus, meaning that students are expected to engage in discussions, group work and seminars. Except lectures, all course components are compulsory since they develop the skills and approaches that are included in the learning objectives in a way that is not possible through self-study. The course consists of 4.5 weeks of full-time studies and gives 7.5 credits.