Learning Units
The NBS EduWORLD Learning Units page offers a comprehensive and flexible suite of resources designed to integrate Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) into higher education and professional training. With 50 curated Learning Units, this platform supports educators, students, and practitioners at all levels—undergraduate (UG), postgraduate (PG), doctoral (PhD), vocational, and entrepreneurial.
Covering a broad spectrum of themes and contexts, the Learning Units are structured around key educational streams:
- Common Core Units introduce foundational NBS concepts, such as ecosystem services, biodiversity, and the SDGs.
- 3rd Level Units target university-level learners, with a focus on implementation, policy, social inclusion, and future urban development.
- Entrepreneurial Units support learners exploring nature-based enterprises, business models, green finance, and sector-specific NBS opportunities.
- Vocational Units are tailored for practical skills development, project management, policy engagement, and multi-level governance.
- Case Studies and Workshops offer real-world applications and participatory methods from NBS EduWORLD demonstrator sites across Europe.
Each unit is aligned with European Qualification Framework (EQF) levels, ranging from Level 6 to Level 8, ensuring academic relevance and adaptability.
These Learning Units are editable and adaptable, supporting custom integration into curricula, practice-oriented, blending theory with applied learning, and geographically diverse, reflecting urban, rural, and coastal NBS contexts.
Download the full list of Learning Units
Whether you're a lecturer seeking ready-to-use teaching materials, a student exploring sustainability, or a professional upskilling in green innovation, the NBS EduWORLD Learning Units offer a unique, user-friendly gateway into nature-based thinking and action.
Search results ( 31 - 35 of 50 )
Planning a Nature-inspired design Field Trip: Innovations in NBS architecture and engineering with the SDGs
Nature-based solutions are effective in their implementation with architecture and engineering processes in their nature-inspired design. This learning unit offers reflective questions and components to interrogate when designing a site visit or field trip to view nature-inspired design in-person. Examples of innovations in NBS nature-inspired design provide a context for analysis and debate for learners before and after the site visit. The connection of nature-inspired design and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) demonstrates how architecture, engineering and design contributes to addressing key challenges facing the planet.
Find here the editable version and the teaching note.
Educational Level: Higher Education
Language: English
Organisation: TCD
Pocket Parks Case
Pocket parks are small, accessible green spaces integrated into urban environments that provide critical environmental, social, and health benefits. This session will explore how EU-funded projects contribute to the creation of pocket parks, the role of community stewardship, and the best practices for ensuring the long-term success and sustainability of these spaces.
Find here the editable version and the teaching note.
Educational Level: Higher Education
Language: English
Organisation: TCD
Policy and Governance Frameworks for NBS in Europe
Europe has demonstrated its support and leadership in NBS implementation. The development of NBS on the continent is supported by European policy and governance frameworks. This module presents these frameworks in the context of various European projects focused on NBS in urban, rural and coastal communities. The focus on GreenComp - The European Green Competency Framework and the recent EU Nature Restoration Law (2024) and a policy on NBS and Nature Positive Economy will be highlighted. EU projects that offer insights into policy development and frameworks for NBS implementation will also be highlighted and interrogated during this Learning Unit.
Find here the editable version and the teaching note.
Educational Level: Higher Education
Language: English
Organisation: TCD
Public procurement for NBS
This unit provides an understanding of public procurment, and highlights its role in the promoting amd implementing NBS in urban areas by providing an overview of procurement practices, challenges, and opportunities for using public procurement to implement NBS projects.
Find here the editable version and the teaching note.
Educational Level: Professional
Language: English
Organisation: PPMI
Review
This unit revisits the concept of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), highlighting their critical role in addressing urban challenges related to climate change, biodiversity, and health. The session also explores tools for scaling NBS, the importance of community collaboration, and how EU policies support the widespread adoption of NBS, focusing on projects like smart cities and re-wilding efforts.
Find here the editable version and the teaching note.
Educational Level: Higher Education
Language: English
Organisation: TCD
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.