🌿After another busy and productive year, the NaturaConnect team will be taking a short holiday break. We look forward to returning in the new year and continuing to share updates on our project work with you. Until then, we wish you a wonderful festive season and a successful start to 2026!🥳

📣 Our NaturaConnect December newsletter is coming out very soon! Don’t miss your chance to be the first to receive the latest news, project updates, and insights from across the NaturaConnect community. ❗ Subscribe now to stay informed: naturaconnect.eu/contact/ #NaturaConnect #HorizonEU

This week, the NaturaConnect consortium gathered at iDiv/MLU in Leipzig for our Annual Consortium Meeting (2–5 12.) - an important milestone as the project enters its final chapter. Check out the photos here: tinyurl.com/2rukhydf @idiv-research.bsky.social @unihalle.bsky.social @spongeboost.eu

🚨 In Europe alone, up to €48 billion in subsidies can have negative environmental impacts. By redirecting subsidies from harmful practices to nature-positive actions, we can support sustainable recovery efforts. Learn more: buff.ly/17xAhEk #NaturaConnect #HorizonEU

New Insights on Linking Blue & Green Infrastructure in the Danube–Carpathians NaturaConnect hosted a rich and insightful webinar exploring how an integrated connectivity approach can help strengthen ecological networks across the Danube-Carpathian Region. Explore the outcomes: buff.ly/HA1Gf7Y

🌿 Meet the people of #NaturaConnect! We are pleased to introduce Anandi Sarita Namasivayam, a PhD candidate @VUamsterdam whose work focuses on simulating possible future land-use changes and the effects on ecosystem services. Read more here: naturaconnect.eu/wp5-scenario... #HorizonEU

#NaturaConnect partners contributed to a two-day workshop on “Models and approaches for conserving biodiversity today and tomorrow”, held 5-6 November 2025 at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris.The event was co-organised by PatriNat and the Laboratoire d’Ecologie Alpine (LECA, CNRS).

Sofie Ruysschaert (SBE), Piero Visconti (IIASA), Carla Freund (IIASA), and Nestor Fernandez (iDiv/MLU) represented NaturaConnect at the workshop “How to define priority areas for restoration for strong national restoration plans”, organised by the #RestoreNature NGO coalition in the Netherlands.

💡 The outcomes of our recent webinar “The Road Ahead: Financing Nature Conservation in the Danube-Carpathian Region” (23 October 2025) are now available! 📄 Take a look at the recording, outcomes, and presentations on our website. 🔗https://buff.ly/wGIShcx #NaturaConnect #HorizonEU

📢 New training module on Financial Instruments available on the NaturaConnect Learning Platform! 🎯 Enrol now on the NaturaConnect Learning Platform to dive deeper: tinyurl.com/ENA-NC #NaturaConnect #HorizonEU

❗ This Thursday: Join us for the next NaturaConnect webinar | The Road Ahead: Financing Nature Conservation in the Danube-Carpathians 📅 23 October 2025 🕤 09:30 CET 👉 Register here: buff.ly/dQwQIIg #NaturaConnect #HorizonEU

❗ REMINDER: 🌿 Join us for the next NaturaConnect webinar | The Road Ahead: Financing Nature Conservation in the Danube-Carpathians 📅 23 October 2025 🕤 09:30 CET 👉 Register here: buff.ly/xeusE0v #NaturaConnect #HorizonEU

NaturaConnect was proud to join over 360 nature professionals at EUROPARC 2025 in Lithuania, sharing project outputs, our Learning Platform & mission for a resilient Trans-European Nature Network. #NaturaConnect #EUROPARC2025 #HorizonEU

NaturaConnect releases new outputs: a 1 km pan-European opportunity cost dataset for cost-effective conservation & a multilayer network analysis showing how strict and non-strict protected areas boost connectivity. Read more on our website: buff.ly/DxGoR8G #NaturaConnect #HorizonEU

🌿 Join us for the next NaturaConnect webinar | The Road Ahead: Financing Nature Conservation in the Danube-Carpathians 📅 23 October 2025 🕤 09:30 CET 👉 Register here: naturaconnect.idiv.de/events/regis... #NaturaConnect #HorizonEU

On 25 September, NaturaConnect and WWF teams from across Central and Eastern Europe came together for a productive exchange on ecological connectivity, with a strong focus on the Carpathians as a vital landscape for biodiversity in Europe. #NaturaConnect #HorizonEU

🌍 NaturaConnect expertise is represented at the first IPBES Spatial Planning & Connectivity Assessment (22-26 Sept, IIASA, Austria), advancing knowledge on biodiversity, restoration & connectivity in planning. 👉 buff.ly/6WyBskS

🌳 Blended Finance combines public and private funding to attract investment for nature restoration projects across Europe. This innovative tool helps close the biodiversity funding gap and shifts investments to sustainable practices.   Learn more: tinyurl.com/mrxr5zsy   #NaturaConnect #RestoreNature

NaturaConnect joined Forum Carpaticum in Bratislava, where 140+ researchers shared insights on the Carpathians’ biodiversity & sustainable futures. Project was presented in 2 sessions: Day 1: Governance & the Trans-European Nature Network Day 2: Freshwater connectivity & blue-green infrastructure

At #IALE2025 in Bratislava (2-5 September), focusing on landscapes in a changing world, #NaturaConnect presented the Danube–Carpathian case study, showcasing our connectivity prioritisation approach and latest findings on riparian zones. Learn more about the Congress here: buff.ly/RdYrI6G #HorizonEU

🚀 New tutorial! Explore climate resilience of protected areas in Europe 🌿 Learn to calculate climate risk metrics & apply them to conservation under climate change. Visit our Learning Platform now: 👉 tinyurl.com/ENA-NC #NaturaConnect #HorizonEU

Our Newsletter Is Out! The new edition of our newsletter is now available on the NaturaConnect website. Dive in for all the latest project updates, insights and upcoming activities: buff.ly/j3BiTyb Have a read and subscribe so you’ll be the first to receive the next edition straight to your inbox.

🌿Ready to boost stakeholder engagement? Learn to map involvement, apply participative methods, and design inclusive events—online or in person. Explore tools like the Mendelow Matrix & Appreciative Inquiry: buff.ly/Q3tqMx1

Discover 3 Nature Futures narratives for Europe - spanning forests, freshwater, agriculture, energy & more. Diverse paths, shared goals: a resilient, nature-positive future for all. Explore more on our Learning Platform: buff.ly/Q3tqMx1 #NaturaConnect #HorizonEU

🌿 Meet the People of #NaturaConnect Auriane Flottes de Pouzols is a Policy Assistant at the Institute for European Environmental Policy. She is working on the finance module for the NaturaConnect Learning Platform. Discover our Learning Platform here: buff.ly/W9iHKNs

🔎 Debt for Nature Swaps allow countries to reduce their debt in exchange for committing to protect and restore natural areas. Learn more in our new #NaturaConnect factsheet: tinyurl.com/4rphhbar

🌿 #NaturaConnect held 3 training courses in Portugal to boost capacity in nature conservation, planning & restoration, supporting EU 2030 goals with hands-on learning & expert-led sessions. #HorizonEU Learn more here: buff.ly/duZEfSF

🔍 New protocol from #NaturaConnect brings clarity to conservation planning. ODPSCP helps document key decisions, boosting transparency & reproducibility. Now published in Conservation Science & Practice. Read more:🔗 buff.ly/y8c505R #NaturaConnect #HorizonEU @martinjung.eu

Subscribe now to stay in the loop! Get the latest news, updates, and future events alerts from NaturaConnect - delivered straight to your inbox. With the July edition coming out soon, now’s the perfect time to join our newsletter community! Subscribe here: naturaconnect.eu/contact/

At the #NatureFirst Conference, Cristian-Remus Papp, PhD, featured NaturaConnect’s connectivity work - spotlighting Băile Tușnad, Romania. It’s one of the most important bear corridors in the Carpathians, and our modelling backs it up. #NaturaConnect #HorizonEU

Unsure what to fill out? Check out a few of the example protocols on the repository. PRs also welcome! github.com/iiasa/odpscp Lastly, I thank my wonderful co-authors and people trying to make conservation planning more accessible and understandable. @naturaconnect.bsky.social (6)

Missed our TEN-N financing webinar? Catch up now! 🎥 Recording, slides & factsheets are live on our site - explore funding solutions for Europe’s nature network 🌿 buff.ly/V83zvPo #NaturaConnect #HorizonEU

At ICCB2025 in Brisbane, NaturaConnect joined the global conserv. science community to share our approach to spatial planning for nature across Europe. From new collaborations to powerful lessons on integrating Indigenous knowledge, our work connects with global goals. Read more: buff.ly/KeKWSv2

🌿 Meet the people of #NaturaConnect! Dr. Sofie Ruysschaert, EU Nature Restoration Policy Officer at @BirdLifeEurope, is advancing work on governance & finance—key to building the TEN-N 📘 Learn more: buff.ly/t11K4C7 #HorizonEU

#ResilienceBonds help reduce risks from extreme weather by investing in nature restoration. This innovative financial tool links climate risk reduction to savings on insurance premiums, offering a new path to protect landscapes and communities. 📥 Learn more in our new factsheet: buff.ly/6Hpoywp

🔍New research published in the journal Global Change Biology shows Europe’s protected areas face uneven climate risks. Read more about the vital insights for future conservation planning: buff.ly/CQcnBi2 #NaturaConnect #HorizonEU

🌿Financing the Trans-European Nature Network: Costs, Opportunities, and the Road Ahead. Join our webinar on 18 June, 10:00–11:30 CEST to explore costs, funding options & the future MFF. Register now: buff.ly/GAZp7V6 #NaturaConnect #HorizonEU

🌿 At #MUSTFestival2025 in Tampere, NaturaConnect shared insights on biodiversity & connectivity. Strong interest from planners shows the value of local–EU collaboration. Big thanks to #MUSTProject for the inspiring event! #NaturaConnect #HorizonEU

🌍From 12–16 May, NaturaConnect participated in the BirdLife Task Force meeting in North Macedonia, engaging 40+ partners to align tools with the needs of conservation practitioners across Europe. Big thanks to our hosts: BirdLife Europe & Macedonian Ecological Society. #NaturaConnect #HorizonEU

Last week, NaturaConnect hosted the webinar Mapping the Future of Europe’s Protected Areas, presenting spatial modelling, an interactive mapping tool by ‪@iiasa.ac.at‬ and breakout sessions designed to collect targeted feedback. Read more: naturaconnect.eu/webinar-mapp... #NaturaConnect #HorizonEU

NaturaConnect's Piero Visconti and @martinjung.eu‬ (IIASA), contributed to the Science for Policy Report on the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030. Their contribution focuses on how biodiversity indicators can more effectively track the link to increased protection efforts. Read more: buff.ly/wOYHswl

If we want TEN-N to succeed, we need stronger governance, better policies, and smarter investments in ecological connectivity. 📖 Read our latest report or summaries available in 18 languages to discover what’s needed to make TEN-N a reality. naturaconnect.eu/governance-r...

💡#GreenBonds are financial instruments designed to raise funds for environmental projects, including nature restoration, protected areas, and ecological corridors. Learn more about this tool in our new factsheet: tinyurl.com/yh75tfw4 #NaturaConnect #RestoreNature

🌿On May 14 in Czech Republic the Carpathian Convention Working Group met to boost cross-border cooperation on large carnivore conservation and biodiversity. NaturaConnect representative shared key project updates. The meeting wrapped with an inspiring visit to the grasslands of the Bílé Karpaty.

🌿 Meet Francisco Moreira, Principal Investigator & Coordinator of CIBIO-BIOPOLIS Francisco co-leads ecological connectivity efforts & contributes to Portugal’s #NaturaConnect case study, supporting the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 targets. 🔗Learn more: preprints.arphahub.com/article/1290...

The User-Pays Principle offers a way to fund the management of protected areas by charging users for access and services. Learn more about how this principle can help us connect nature in Europe: tinyurl.com/bdctwkwn #NaturaConnect

#NaturaConnect participated in the HARMON 2 workshop in Nitra, Slovakia (28–30 April). Hildegard Meyer (WWF-CEE) presented our Learning Platform. With 200+ users, the platform is built on the CARE principles: Comprehensiveness, Adequacy, Resilience, Effectiveness. Learn more: tinyurl.com/ENA-NC

📰 #NaturaConnect is in the spotlight! The latest Protected Areas In-Sight journal from EUROPARC features our work, including the NaturaConnect Learning Platform. 🌿📚 Now available in English, French & German – take a look! 🔗 www.europarc.org/news/2025/04... #HorizonEU #EUROPARC #NatureConservation

🤓Learn about Area-based Conservation in Europe Discover how #NaturaConnect offers scientific support for designing the Trans-European Nature Network (TEN-N) by upholding the principles of #CARE: Comprehensiveness, Adequacy, Resilience, and Effectiveness. europeannatureacademy.com/course/natur...

🤓Learn about Area-based Conservation in Europe Discover how #NaturaConnect offers scientific support for designing the Trans-European Nature Network (TEN-N) by upholding the principles of #CARE: Comprehensiveness, Adequacy, Resilience, and Effectiveness. europeannatureacademy.com/course/natur...