Conference Agenda

This contribution is set within the framework of social-nature studies (Castree & Braun, 2001) and climate security studies (Diez et al., 2016; von Lucke 2020). Its aim is to investigate what kind of nature is framed and understood in climate change policy, with which purposes, and with what socio-ecological effects.

Through a policy analysis, this contribution investigates and discusses typologies of “nature” and their use in international climate policy settings. In particular, the analysis considers the period between 2015, when Paris Agreement was approved, and 2024 when the Baku Conference of Parties took place. Aspects of consumption and reductionism are especially considered, seeking to understand how the concept of nature is instrumentalised within climate policies and how this represents a reiteration of the anthropocentric perspective on climate change and its solutions. Within this discussion, a further key of analysis is adopted, offered by climate security studies. In particular, the work considers how “nature” and “climate” are functional to security-oriented narratives.

What emerges is that a paradigm shift has taken place with Paris Agreement that sees “nature” increasingly at the centre of the climate change debate and security-oriented discourse. In particular, two new ways of looking at nature have been found. The first sees nature as a "tool" for adaptation and mitigation policies, to promote the construction of “hybrid” geographies in which the boundaries between nature and society are questioned and redefined. This includes the increasing claims to adopt nature-based solutions or natural climate solutions. The second addresses the “loss of nature”, opening a debate on the loss and damage mechanism and the risks to human security.

This contribution presents an initial analysis of a novel approach to managing Nature-based Solutions (NbS) through the lens of Vegetal Geography. NbS, which encompass efforts to protect, conserve, restore and sustainably use the environment, pose significant challenges for local governments. Often launched with temporary funding from higher institutions such as ministries or the European Union, these initiatives require long-term integration into local policy strategies. Local governments continually face resource constraints and bureaucratic barriers that hinder the transformative potential of NbS. These solutions rely on collaborative governance involving public administrations, private companies, NGOs and citizens.
Vegetal geography, the study of plants and their interactions with their environment, offers new insights into the complex relationships between plant species and humans. This research shows how Vegetal Geography challenges traditional views of plants and recognises them as having their own agency. In terms of public policy, Vegetal Geography can propose an alternative management model that ensures a long-term vision for NbS. By incorporating these perspectives, policy makers could develop policies that strengthen the connection between people and the environment, thereby supporting the sustainability of different ecosystems, including urban ones.

European cities increasingly adopt innovative planning tools to address the climate transition, redefining the city-nature relationship while advancing urban planning methodologies. Approximately 60% of Europe’s population resides in small and medium-sized cities (10,000–250,000 inhabitants) (Selada et al., 2010), which often contend with climate challenges while lacking sufficient resources. These cities frequently rely on external funding through competitive tenders to embed adaptation and mitigation strategies into ordinary planning frameworks, fostering sustainable development and resilience.

This study investigates the interaction between local communities and green spaces, alongside interpretations of nature within climate adaptation plans of medium-sized Italian cities. It identifies urban spaces embodying distinct approaches to urban nature, contrasting conservation efforts with the development of “new natures” aimed at mitigating heat, improving drainage, and enhancing biodiversity. Urban planning’s historical emphasis on hygiene has evolved into a systemic perspective, encompassing biodiversity preservation, urban drainage, and recreational objectives. From Howard’s Garden City to contemporary strategies, green spaces have consistently been integral to enhancing urban living conditions.

Climate adaptation and mitigation policies, particularly those under competitive tenders, frequently adopt experimental approaches (Bulkeley and Broto, 2013; Caprotti and Cowley, 2016). Assessing the socio-ecological efficacy of such experiments is critical. Drawing upon the concept of Social Nature (Castree and Braun, 2001) and Urban Political Ecology (Heynen et al., 2005), this research examines the ideological and practical frameworks shaping nature-based interventions. It focuses on the socionatures (Swyngedouw, 1998) constructed by these strategies and critically evaluates their social and political ramifications, particularly inequalities emerging from spatial and design decisions.

The methodology employs a comparative analysis of climate transition strategies in medium-sized cities in northern Italy, developed through a shared funding framework. It explores the commodification of nature in climate policies, the rebranding of urban identities, and the socionatures that transform human-nature interactions. Furthermore, it evaluates how global climate objectives are localized to address specific conservation, enhancement, and reproduction needs of natural elements. By examining localized climate strategies, this study contributes to understanding how global and continental policies are translated into local actions, addressing the diverse requirements of communities and territories.

This presentation focuses on the Pančevo Marshes, an area north of the Danube River in Belgrade, Serbia’s capital and biggest city. This area was a virtually uninhabited floodplain of the Danube and Tamiš rivers until the early 20^th century. Like many other wetland areas, it too was considered a wasteland, which led to plans for “reclamations” and “improvement” through infrastructural development. Over the course of several decades, approximately 90 km of embankments were constructed to protect the floodplain from seasonal flooding of the Danube and the Tamiš, 600 km of canals were dug to regulate the groundwater level, and several pumps were installed to pump excess water out of the area. Following these changes, small sections of wetlands remain in the Pančevo Marshes, yet there are constant pressures that may destroy these ecosystems. These pressures range from plans to create new industrial zones and port terminals through landfilling, to illegal construction of weekend houses and gravel exploitation lots along the Danube, to omnipresent wastewater dumping that causes pollution. Some residents of the Pančevo Marshes organize with the aim of protecting the remaining wetlands. Instead of unbridled development and attendant corruption, they propose the Belgrade Danube Park as a positive vision of co-existence with nature that would harness the benefits of ecosystem services in the context of climate change. Their discourse acknowledges the complex infrastructural history of the area that created a specific socio-natural hybrid, valuable in its own right and constantly jeopardized by human activities. Based on long-term ethnographic engagement (including participant observation, interviews, media accounts, and social media discussions), I examine these activists’ work to ask: How is the relationship between society and nature rearticulated in grassroots ideas about transitional pathways in the Anthropocene?