Training for policymakers on restoring and valuing urban nature - Île-de-France Region

@https://www.cerema.fr/fr/activites/services/developper-nature-ville

This training course for municipal policymakers in the Île-de-France region (France) focuses on restoring and valuing nature in the city. It has been delivered in the Île-de-France Regional Biodiversity Agency (agences régionales de la biodiversité, ARB) in 2019. The course offers an overview of the options available nature-based urban design, presenting approaches and initiatives for planning, project management and financing. The aim is to effectively deploy concrete actions in favor of urban nature. The course also allows urban policymakers to acquire a global and synthetic understanding of the challenges of restoring or enhancing nature in the city and to identify good practices for developing initiatives at different scales. At the end of the course, participants are to have the skills and knowledge to implement an ambitious action plan for nature in the city, master the concepts and major associated issues, and have arguments to raise awareness, inform and convince their constituents. The course lasts one day (8 hours) and has been proposed once in 2019. The training can be covered by municipal budget or under the individual rights to training as an elected municipal representative. The price of the training can be adjusted according to the local authority. Local authorities with more than 50,000 inhabitants pay €690 EUR, local authorities between 50,000 and 10,000 inhabitants pay €490 EUR and local authorities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants pay €290 EUR (2019 fees). The training was stopped it in 2020 because of Covid but also because trainings reserved for elected officials only were suspended. There were about ten elected officials registered for this training. There was no coordination with the other ARBs. Institut Paris Region and ARB are considering re-launching elected officials training courses, including this one, in 2023. In previous years, one or two elected officials have attended the Institute's training courses (1) "Planning, building and renovating to promote biodiversity" and (2) "Implementing ecological management of urban nature areas" which are open to professionals. The programs can be consulted via the link : (1) https://www.institutparisregion.fr/linstitut-paris-region-centre-de-formation/les-essentiels/amenager-batir-et-renover-en-favorisant-la-biodiversite/ ; (2) https://www.institutparisregion.fr/linstitut-paris-region-centre-de-formation/les-essentiels/mettre-en-place-une-gestion-ecologique-des-espaces-de-nature-en-ville/.

Overview

Type of instrument:

Knowledge, communication and innovation instruments›Knowledge and/or innovation

Challenges addressed

Ecologic connectivity
Soil quality
Water management (e.g. reuse)
Green space management (e.g. accessibility)
Watershed restoration/water quality
Social cohesion
Social equity
Nature appropriation / stewardship
Reconnection to the biosphere / environmental education
Human health, comfort and well-being

Consideration of nature-based solutions:

The training includes modules on the role of urban planning documents; ecological management of spaces; green, blue and black grids; water and soil in cities; associated labels; and various methodologies.

Targeted (peri-)urban areas:

Blue areas

Green areas for water management

Urban green space connected to grey infrastructure

Good practice characteristics:

Support multifunctional NBS

Sustainable in the long-term

Locally appropriate

Potential to be replicated / upscaled

Governance

Government body/bodies

Initiating body:

Regional Biodiversity Agencies (agences régionales de la biodiversité, ARB)

Instrument design:

Details about how the instrument was designed:

The training course is given by the Regional Biodiversity Agency Île-de-France (ARB îdF), in collaboration with the the urban and rural environment department of the Institut Paris Region (Regional Agency for Urban Planning and the Environment), and the accreditation of the Ministry of Interior.

Instrument implementation:

Targeted actors:

Researchers, university

Collectivités au-dessus de 50 000 habitants Collectivités entre 50 000 et 10 000 habitants Collectivités en-dessous de 10 000 habitants

Financing

Sources of funding:

Public local authority’s budget

Details about instrument financing:

The training can be covered by municipal budget or under the individual rights to training as an elected municipal representative. The price of the training can be adjusted according to the local authority. Local authorities with more than 50,000 inhabitants pay €690 EUR, local authorities between 50,000 and 10,000 inhabitants pay €490 EUR and local authorities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants pay €290 EUR (2019 fees).

Monitoring, evaluation and impacts

Achieved outcomes and impacts:

There were about ten elected officials registered for this training in 2019.

Success factors and lessons learned:

The training course for policymakers on restoring and valuing nature in the city delivered in the Île-de-France Region has the potential to be replicated in other regions in France and in other countries. It can be adapted to local needs and challenges. It supports multiple nature-based solutions by providing local and regional policymakers with knowledge and skills on nature restoration in the city. It is therefore sustainable in the long term as the transferred knowledge will benefit and inform the implementation of municipal and regional urban policy instruments. The training was stopped it in 2020 because of Covid but also because trainings reserved for elected officials only were suspended. There were about ten elected officials registered for this training. There was no coordination with the other ARBs. Institut Paris Region and ARB are considering re-launching elected officials training courses, including this one, in 2023. In addition, the Institut Paris Région is currently participating in an action-oriented research project, the objective of which is to rethink the training of local elected officials in the area of sustainable transition pathways. The Institute's method is to conduct a survey of about thirty local elected officials on their training needs, then to conduct about ten tests/experiments with elected officials to test our hypotheses. Two recommendation books, one for elected officials, the other for supply-side actors, are currently being drafted.

Sources and further information

References

List of references:

L'Institut Paris Région. (2020). Restaurer et valoriser la nature en ville. Available at: https://www.institutparisregion.fr/linstitut-paris-region-centre-de-formation/formations-pour-les-elus/restaurer-et-valoriser-la-nature-en-ville/ Caisse des Dépots. (2021), Les Cahiers de Biodiv' 2050: Comprendre. Nature en ville : aménager aujourd’hui les communes de demain. Available at: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwi98t-zq7T3AhW87rsIHcX4AKsQFnoECBYQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.caissedesdepots.fr%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2F2021-07%2FN17-COMPRENDRE-FR-MD-WEB-2.pdf&usg=AOvVaw1yWKGpJzy0shX5Yb_rqeES L'Institut Paris Région. (2019). FORMATION ÉLUS DE L’INSTITUT PARIS REGION, RESTAURER ET VALORISER LA NATURE EN VILLE. Available at: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiz87WAh6D5AhUAX_EDHWufDO4QFnoECA8QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.institutparisregion.fr%2Ffileadmin%2FDataStorage%2FRD-Formations%2FFormations%2FformationsElus%2FProg_elus_nature_en_ville_26sept.pdf&usg=AOvVaw1Yn23Bhvj4-Kc3gEkLlH4C

Photos

@https://www.cerema.fr/fr/activites/services/developper-nature-ville