Between 17-19 October 2023, the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) organised and hosted a workshop “Making people part of ecosystem restoration in Europe”. The hybrid event took place in Bonn, Germany and aimed to provide pathways for right-based design and planning processes to ensure the inclusiveness and engagement of local communities in nature restoration.

The workshop brought together experts from across Europe representing science, policy and practice and provided an interactive environment for lively discussions about the engagement of local communities and other stakeholders in nature restoration and increase acceptance, social license, ownership and sustainability of the interventions in the long-term.

Luciana Villa Castrillon at the BfN workshop

Amongst the participants was the REST-COAST member, Luciana Villa Castrillon of HEREON, representing the project’s Wadden Sea Pilot Site. In an engaging presentation, Luciana presented the efforts taken within the context of REST-COAST for the large-scale restoration in the Wadden Sea region. The importance and benefits of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) were highlighted, along with the possible ways for their implementation in coastal restoration.