1. General information Location and description of the intervention City or FUA Lisboa (FUA) Region Europe Native title of the NBS intervention Miyawaki Mini-floresta no Areeiro Short description of the intervention In Lisbon's Areeiro district, Urbem, a non-profit organization, is leading the creation of a 2500m2 Miyawaki mini-forest in Casal Vistoso Urban Park. This initiative involves densely planting native species to rapidly establish a diverse, self-sustaining forest ecosystem. Supported by the Lisbon City Council, the project aims to enhance urban biodiversity, improve air quality, and contribute to climate resilience. Volunteers from the local community play a crucial role in every stage, from preparing the land to planting and maintaining the forest. Despite initial challenges, such as a 40-50% plant survival rate, the forest is expected to become self-sustaining within three years. The project focuses on environmental restoration and seeks to engage and educate the community, fostering a sense of ownership and connection to these new green spaces (Ref 1; Ref 2; Ref 3; Ref 4). Principal problems Environmental Degradation Biodiversity loss Invasive alien species Land use and Socio-economic change Rapid urbanization Implementation area characterization Climate Temperate ( Humid subtropical, Hot-summer Mediterranean, Warm-summer Mediterranean, Warm-temperate with dry winter) Ecosystem Temperate forests Address 1600-063 Lisbon Portugal Location Point location, which indicates where the NBS takes place Area boundary (map-based) Total area 2500.00m² Area description Urban (main city) Type of area before implementation of the NBS Public Greenspace Area Timeline of intervention Start date of the intervention (planning process) 2021 Start date of intervention (implementation process) 2021 End date of the intervention 2025 Present stage of the intervention Ongoing 2. Objectives of the intervention Objectives of the intervention Goals of the intervention 1. The project aims to increase biodiversity by planting a variety of native species, creating a habitat for local fauna and flora in the urban environment (Ref 1). 2. By establishing dense, self-sustaining forests, the project seeks to improve air quality, reduce the urban heat island effect, and enhance water infiltration, contributing to climate resilience (Ref 3). 3. Urbem encourages local residents to participate in all stages of the project, from planting to maintenance, fostering a sense of ownership and connection to the green spaces (Ref 2). 4. The project serves as a living laboratory for learning about ecology, sustainability, and urban forestry, engaging the community and local schools in environmental education (Ref 4). 5. The ultimate goal is to create a forest that becomes self-sustaining within three years, requiring minimal human intervention (Ref 1). Key Priorities Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation) Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration) Sustainability challenge(s) addressed Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13) Climate change adaptation Environmental quality Air quality improvement Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15) Green space creation and/or management Habitat and biodiversity restoration Habitat and biodiversity conservation Climate change adaptation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets? Increase urban vegetation cover to reduce urban heat island effect Habitats and biodiversity conservation: What types of conservation goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention? Species-focused Habitats and biodiversity conservation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets? Protect and enhance urban habitats Create new habitats Protect species Undertake specific measures to protect species Undertake specific measures to protect native species Control and clean invasive alien species Means for conservation governance Raise public awareness Public engagement What types of restoration goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention? Species-focused What activities are implemented to realize the restoration goals and targets? Restore native species Clear and control invasive alien species Public engagement Implementation activities and NBS focus Implementation activities - Land Preparation: Trenches and channels are dug to promote water infiltration and manage rainwater runoff, addressing issues of soil dryness and poor water retention, especially during summer months (Ref 1). - Dense Planting of Native Species: Over 1,700 trees, shrubs, and plants of 32 native species are planted using the Miyawaki method, which involves planting densely to accelerate forest growth and increase biodiversity in an urban context (Ref 3). - Community Involvement: Urbem organizes volunteer activities at all stages—land preparation, planting, and ongoing maintenance—to engage local residents and create a sense of ownership over the forest, thereby addressing the challenge of maintaining urban green spaces (Ref 2). - Maintenance and Monitoring: The project includes regular weeding, plant cover renewal, and quarterly monitoring of plant survival, which is crucial for managing the high mortality rates previously reported in the area (Ref 3). - Educational Outreach: The forest serves as a platform for environmental education, involving schools and the broader community to raise awareness about urban ecology and sustainability (Ref 4). These activities address the previous problems of sparse and underdeveloped flora, poor soil conditions, and lack of biodiversity by creating a dense, resilient forest that can thrive in an urban environment, enhancing both ecological and social benefits (Ref 3). Type of NBS project Creation of new green areas Creation of any other green urban spaces 3. NBS domains, ES and scale NBS domain and interventions Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented Parks and urban forests Large urban parks or forests Amenities offered by the NBS Unknown Design elements for well-being None of the above Services Expected ecosystem services delivered Regulating services Local climate regulation (temperature reduction) Air quality regulation Carbon storage/sequestration Habitat and supporting services Habitats for species Cultural services Social and community interactions Scale Spatial scale Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level Beneficiaries Demographics in implementation area Unknown Socio-economic profile of the area Unknown Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts Unknown Non-government actors Non-governmental organisation (NGO) / Civil society / Churches Primary Beneficiaries Citizens or community groups Specify primary beneficiaries The local residents and visitors benefit from the forests (Ref 1) Marginalized groups Unknown Other beneficiaries Local wildlife (e.g., birds, pollinators) Native plant vegetation Natural habitats (e.g. wetland, forests, coastal areas) 4. Governance and financing Governance Governance arrangements Led by non-government actors Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative The project is run by an NGO called Urbem, which works together with volunteers. Additionally the Lisbon city council provides land and material support and wants to integrate the project into broader sustainability efforts (Ref 3) Key actors - initiating organization Non-government organisation/civil society Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors) Local government/municipality Citizens or community group Stages of citizen and community engagement Planning and design (e.g. site selection, identification of key priorities) Development of project proposal Decision-making among different alternative plans On-the-ground implementation Level of citizen and community engagement High Community empowerment or capacity-building initiatives Implementation of educational programs, workshops or trainings Formation of community-led groups responsible for the the implementation, maintenace or monitoring of the project Creation of collaborative decision-making processes that actively involve community members Participatory methods/forms of stakeholder involvement (all stakeholders) Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting) Citizen oversight (e.g. boards, advisory) Citizen monitoring and review Uncommon actors ("Missing actors") Unknown Land owners Public space owned by the city Policy drivers NBS intervention implemented in response to a Regional Directive/Strategy No NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan Unknown NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan Unknown Mandatory or voluntary intervention Voluntary (spontaneous) Enablers & Barriers Type of enablers Change agents (individual with major role influence on launching) Please provide details (e.g, name of the plan or strategy) for the selected policies or initiatives. The NGO itself can be seen as a change agent as it runs the project rather independently (Ref 3) Governace and decison-making instruments Unknown Arrangements for governance cooperation Unknown Barriers Unknown Financing Total cost Unknown Please specify total cost (EUR) Unknown What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements? Unknown Source(s) of funding Public local authority budget Type of fund(s) used Earmarked public budget Non-financial contribution Yes Who provided the non-financial contribution? Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services) Citizens (e.g. volunteering) Type of non-financial contribution Provision of land Provision of goods Provision of labour Co-finance for NBS No Entrepreneurship opportunities No Business models Business models Local stewardship model Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model? Private non-for-profit actor (e.g. NGO, foundation) 5. Evaluation and learning Impacts, benefits Environmental impacts Climate change Lowered local temperature Expected lowered local temperature Enhanced carbon sequestration Expected enhanced carbon sequestration Water management and blue areas Improved water quality Expected improved water quality Green space and habitat Increased green space area Achieved increased green space area Reduced biodiversity loss Expected reduced biodiversity loss Increased number of species present Expected increased number of species present Description of environmental benefits -Enhanced carbon sequestration: "it is estimated that a Miyawaki forest is capable of absorbing greater amounts of carbon than a conventional forest." (Ref 1) -Lowered local temperature; Improved water quality; Increased green space area, Reduced biodiversity loss, Increased number of species present: "despite being small and localised, these forests can be home to countless native plants and various species of local fauna, strengthening biodiversity in urban centres, cooling our streets and squares, and contributing to water infiltration." (Ref 1) Environmental impact indicators Total number of vascular plant species protected or introduced 31 species, Over 1,700 trees (Ref 3) Green space area created (in ha) 0.25HA (ref 3) Economic impacts Unknown Description of economic benefits Unknown Social and cultural impacts Cultural heritage and sense of place Improvement in people’s connection to nature Achieved improvement in people’s connection to nature Education Increased support for education and scientific research Achieved increased support for education and scientific research Increased knowledge of locals about local nature Expected increased knowledge of locals about local nature Description of social and cultural benefits -Improvement in people’s connection to nature: "The creation of a Miyawaki forest allowed them to return to their roots, to contact with a nature that they thought they could no longer find in Lisbon." (Ref 2) -Increased support for education and scientific research: "More recently, the duo has been working with several schools in Sintra, and has developed a guide for creating Miyawaki forests in a school context, allowing the forests to become real classrooms" (Ref 2) - Increased knowledge of locals about local nature: "these spaces play a role in the education of our citizens and, who knows, in having a greener society in the future" (Ref 4) Evidence for use of assessment Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process No Presence of indicators used in reporting Yes Type of indicators Output indicators Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports No evidence in public records Availability of a web-based monitoring tool No evidence in public records Name of any specific impact assessment tools Unknown Use of GIS in mapping impacts No evidence in public records Cost-benefit analysis Unknown Transparency Inclusion of diverse stakeholders in project governance processes (e.g. planning, implementation, monitoring, etc.) Justice Community satisfaction Unknown Description of locals satisfaction with the project Unknown Trade-offs & Negative impacts Unknown Emphasis of existing social inequalities or injustices No information reported related to negative social justice-related impacts of the NBS project Measures to prevent gentrification or displacement Unknown High-quality & Transformative NBS Multiple impacts delivery (climate, biodiversity, just community) No Goal setting and impacts delivery No, project goals were not set, and benefits were not delivered in all 3 key areas. Long-term perspective Unknown: No information about the project's long-term sustainability. Cost-effective solutions Unknown Equitable impacts C. Unknown Transformative capacity Ecological change (e.g. ecosystem functions and their distribution) Magnitude of change Incremental: shallow; that is, mostly maintaining business-as-usual approaches to adaptation Application of lessons learned Unknown Perception of Environmental Change Unknown 6. Sources References 1. André, M. (2022). Uma mini-floresta no Areeiro, porque não?. Accessed on August 23, 2024, [Source link] [Archive]; 2. LPP (2023). Vem ajudar a plantar uma mini-floresta no Areeiro. Accessed on August 23, 2024, [Source link] [Archive]; 3. Meireles, A. (2023). Lisbon. Mini-forests are growing in Areeiro. Diaro de Noticias, Accessed on August 23, 2024, [Source link] [Archive]; 4. da Cunha (2023). What are these forests growing in the middle of the city? They are named after a Japanese botanist, Miyawaki, and they bring nature to the neighborhoods. mensagem, Accessed on August 23, 2024, [Source link] [Archive]; Comments and notes Public Images Image Volunteers at work https://amensagem.pt/2023/03/01/nasceu-dois-anos-primeira-floresta-miyawaki-lisboa-bairros-estao-pedir-mais/
Image Volunteers at work https://amensagem.pt/2023/03/01/nasceu-dois-anos-primeira-floresta-miyawaki-lisboa-bairros-estao-pedir-mais/
