OS NATURE

Collaborating more with nature, for nature, and like nature.

During a captivating theater lecture with impressive visuals, Stefaan introduces us to the pioneers of what is known as ‘Nature Based Solutions.’ With examples from the United States, Asia, but also surprisingly close in the LowLands, we discover their possibilities, application areas, and workings. As a price is put on carbon, and soon on nitrogen as well, and companies are required to measure their ecological impact, we also learn about the first full-fledged business models with Nature Based Solutions.

What connects swaying meadows of seagrass, mangrove forests, coral reefs, dunes, insects, peatlands, and city forests? Besides their enchanting beauty, they provide us with invaluable ecosystem services. According to estimates from the scientific magazine Nature, nature provides us with $33 trillion worth of services annually, without ever sending a bill. While we have organized climate summits, invested in clean technology, and made political efforts to reduce our carbon footprint over the past decades, nature still does the majority of the work. Of the 38 gigatons of CO₂ we emit annually, the ocean manages to absorb at least half each time.

“How do we solve this in collaboration with nature? That is the crucial question we should ask ourselves with every contemporary challenge.”

Coastal protection, preserving fish stocks, protecting cities from climate change, creating biological building materials… increasingly, we are working with nature, for nature, and like nature to address the challenges of our time.