NetworkNature Week Opens in Paris to Put Nature at the Heart of Climate Action

Paris is hosting NetworkNature Week 2026 from 2 to 5 November, a four-day gathering that puts nature-based solutions at the centre of the climate debate, just days before world leaders and negotiators meet at COP31 in Antalya. Held within the wider Nature-based Solutions International Congress, which runs in Paris from 2 to 6 November, the week brings together researchers, policymakers, practitioners, cities, businesses and investors to turn nature from a side issue in climate policy into a mainstream tool for adaptation and resilience.

According to the organisers, more than 500 participants are taking part in the congress, which is jointly organised by the French National Research Program on Nature-based Solutions, known as SOLU-BIOD, and NetworkNature, in collaboration with Urban Nature Plans+, Biodiversa+, Sorbonne University and the City of Paris. Climate-KIC, the European innovation community for climate action, is also present throughout the week as a partner.

A week of dialogue, cities and business

Each day of NetworkNature Week has its own focus. The week opened on 2 November with a Science-Policy Dialogue on nature restoration, examining how restoration can be delivered wisely and ambitiously through the nature-based solutions framework.

Today, 3 November, is the centrepiece: the NetworkNature Annual Event 2026, titled “Futures with Nature”, held at CNIT Forest in La Défense from 09:00 to 17:00. The event explores what resilient and thriving futures for people and nature could look like, and how to get there, through four thematic streams: future ecosystems, future governance, future lives and future economies. Alongside the sessions, the Future Postcards exhibition showcases projects and visions for a just, safe and thriving future.

On 4 November, attention turns to cities. The Nature-based Solutions Cities Festival, organised by Urban Nature Plans+ in collaboration with NetworkNature and with the support of the City of Paris, brings local and regional governments together at the Climate Academy in Paris to exchange practical approaches to biodiverse, healthy and more resilient urban environments, including through Urban Nature Plans. The programme also includes visits to urban nature sites in Paris.

The week closes on 5 November with a NetworkNature Task Forces Cluster Meeting for task force members, while an NbS Business Forum running through the week showcases small and medium enterprises, nature-based enterprises and start-ups working on the business and finance dimensions of nature-based solutions.

Why nature-based solutions matter now

The organisers frame the week against a stark backdrop: climate change, biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation are increasingly affecting ecosystems, economies and societies, while extreme events such as floods, droughts and wildfires are becoming more frequent and severe. As nature degrades, the organisers warn, societies lose capacity to adapt and thrive.

Nature-based solutions — working with nature and people to strengthen resilience, enhance biodiversity and improve human well-being — are presented as a demonstrated response to these connected crises. Examples range from restoring wetlands that absorb floodwater, to greening cities to cool streets during heatwaves, to protecting forests and coasts that buffer communities against storms. Cities and regions, the organisers stress, stand at the forefront of these challenges: they must respond to current impacts while preparing for future risks and ensuring healthy, equitable and resilient communities.

National governments and European institutions, the week argues, have a crucial role in providing the policy, financial and governance frameworks that let such action scale — which is why the programme deliberately mixes science, policy and practice, and why the week is open access, with some events requiring registration on approval.

From Paris to COP31

The timing is deliberate. The Paris week ends just days before COP31 opens in Antalya, Türkiye, on 9 November, where nearly 200 countries will negotiate climate action until 20 November. Nature, adaptation and resilience feature prominently in the run-up to the summit, and the Paris discussions — on restoration, urban nature, finance and governance — feed directly into the questions negotiators will face in Antalya.

For the nature-based solutions community, the week is pitched as a decisive moment: to move nature from the margins to the mainstream of governance and decision-making, and to turn inspiration into action for resilient and thriving futures for people and nature.

Key facts

• What: NetworkNature Week 2026, within the Nature-based Solutions International Congress 2026
• When: NetworkNature Week, 2–5 November 2026; the wider congress runs 2–6 November 2026
• Where: Paris, France — including Sorbonne University, CNIT Forest in La Défense and the Climate Academy
• Who: More than 500 researchers, practitioners, city and region representatives, authorities, policymakers, investors, businesses and civil society participants
• Organisers: SOLU-BIOD and NetworkNature, with Urban Nature Plans+, Biodiversa+, Sorbonne University and the City of Paris
• Daily programme: 2 November Science-Policy Dialogue; 3 November Annual Event “Futures with Nature”; 4 November Cities Festival; 5 November Task Forces Cluster Meeting
• Context: The week closes days before COP31 opens in Antalya on 9 November 2026

Frequently asked questions

What is NetworkNature Week?

NetworkNature Week is a four-day series of events held within the Nature-based Solutions International Congress in Paris. It brings researchers, policymakers, practitioners, cities, businesses and investors together to advance nature-based solutions for climate adaptation, biodiversity and resilience.

When and where is it taking place?

NetworkNature Week runs from 2 to 5 November 2026 in Paris, France. The wider Nature-based Solutions International Congress continues until 6 November 2026.

What are nature-based solutions?

Nature-based solutions work with nature and people to address societal challenges: for example, restoring wetlands to absorb floods, planting urban trees to cool cities, or protecting coasts and forests that buffer communities. According to the organisers, they strengthen resilience, enhance biodiversity and improve human well-being.

What happens on the main day, 3 November?

On 3 November the NetworkNature Annual Event, “Futures with Nature”, takes place at CNIT Forest in La Défense, Paris, from 09:00 to 17:00. It explores resilient and thriving futures through four streams — future ecosystems, future governance, future lives and future economies — alongside the Future Postcards exhibition.

How does the week connect to COP31?

The week ends just days before COP31 opens in Antalya, Türkiye, on 9 November 2026. Its discussions on restoration, urban nature, finance and governance feed into the adaptation and resilience questions that negotiators will address at the summit.

Read more of our climate coverage on the Climate pages, and see how countries are preparing for the Antalya summit in our report on Bangladesh’s call for climate finance as grants at COP31.