Nature-based Solutions

The Water Action Plan 2024 identifies urban runoff as a significant contributory factor to waterbody quality and quantity pressures in Ireland. There is a growing recognition among industry professionals of the need to move toward blue and green Nature-based spaces and biodiversity in urban areas to better serve the Water Action Plan. LAWPRO have been at the forefront of the move toward stormwater management using Nature-based Solutions in Ireland.

In the context of urban drainage design, Nature-based Solutions replicate natural processes of drainage, providing a solution that is more sustainable, and not based on hard engineering. Nature-based Solutions are required to adhere to all four pillars of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS): water quantity, water quality, amenity and biodiversity benefits.

Annual Nature-based Solutions Conferences

Since 2024, we have hosted an annual Nature-based Solutions Conference in Dundalk Institute of Technology. These conferences feature a range of experts from Ireland and beyond discussing the mainstreaming and adoption of Nature-based Solutions suited to the Irish environment.

During the conference, expert speakers and panelists focus on the implementation of Nature-based Solutions in urban, rural, riverine and coastal areas and draw from practical, on-the-ground examples, with an examination of policy and an emphasis on finding opportunities to implement these solutions.

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Workshops and Webinars

Our Nature-based Solutions team has hosted a series of workshops and webinars promoting the adoption and implementation of Nature-based Solutions. 

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ResiRiver Project

LAWPRO is a project partner in the Interreg NW Europe Project called Resilient River or ‘ResiRiver’ for short. It is a five-year project focusing on the creation of Resilient River Systems through mainstreaming and upscaling different Nature based Solutions in riverine systems of the North-West Europe region. Project partners are from Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Ireland. The Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, Rijkswaterstaat, serves as the lead partner for the project. This partnership is fostering transnational collaboration and knowledge transfer.

Mainstreaming and upscaling NbS will be achieved by applying NbS to large and small scale river projects in the Rhine, Meuse , Weser, Lys, Dromore, Vesdre and Rhone rivers. Knowledge gained from these projects will be assimilated into training programs that can be applied locally, regional and at national levels. Further we will pursue mainstreaming and upscaling by applying this knowledge in action plans, guidelines and policies at all partner organisations.

The project will work on disseminating practical knowledge on mainstreaming through training schemes, practical guidelines, and recommendations that enable mainstreaming and create a level playing field for applying NbS.

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Guidance Documents and Resources

Learn about the implementation of Nature-based Solutions and Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) in urban areas, the benefits inherent in Nature-based Solutions and how integrating green and blue infrastructure can support health, biodiversity, climate resilience, and water management.

Check out our key guidance documents for planners and developers, showing how traditional developments can be re-imagined using Nature-based Solutions.

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