ARE BEST NbS
The international research project ARE BEST NbS aims to enhance the implementation of credible and socially inclusive Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for biodiversity protection and climate resilience. By combining insights from design, natural and social sciences, and the arts, the project investigates how people understand and value biodiversity and how these perceptions influence decision-making around NbS.
Led by a European consortium spanning Hungary, Denmark, Portugal, the Netherlands, and Norway, the project explores how stakeholder engagement, cultural values, and co-designed artistic methods impact NbS outcomes. Case studies in Lake Balaton (Hungary), River Ave basin (Portugal) and Vejle Fjord (Denmark) provide real-life contexts to analyze biodiversity change, ecosystem service benefits, and local perspectives.
At Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, the Hungarian case focuses on a new biomaterial-based solution supporting reedbed restoration in Lake Balaton. This locally developed innovation integrates ecological, material, and artistic design to contribute to biodiversity goals.
The findings of ARE BEST NbS will inform better valuation and evaluation frameworks, foster community participation, and support sustainable environmental policy at the European level.
The project titled "Aquatic and Riparian Ecosystems: Biodiversity and Economic Service Transformations from NbS (ARE BEST NbS)", with the ID 2024-1.2.1-HE_PARTNERSÉG-2025-00037, is implemented with funding from the National Research, Development and Innovation Fund (NKFI Fund).