Nature Based Solutions for Water and Land Management

Course structure

The course is primarily delivered online and can be completed at your own pace. Estimated commitment is 3 hours per week, but you can do as much or as little as you wish. At the suggested commitment, you should be able to complete it within 2 months. Once you register, you will have access to the course private portal, where you can access learning materials, the online forum, and contact your instructors and fellow students as you progress. The course has a mixture of targeted lectures, case studies in video and presentation format, tutorials on key techniques and expert knowledge from the field, live webinars, and a new, practical assignment every week. Your instructors will be available for live Q&A sessions every week, for the duration of the course.

What you will learn

On successful completion of this course you will be able to:

• Describe, contextualise and explain nature based solutions to technical and non-technical audiences,
• Quantify benefits from an economic, social and environmental standpoint,
• Recognise best practice and identify current limitations of nature based solutions,
• Conduct feasibility design and identify trade-offs of key nature based solutions examples.

Core content

• Principles of ecological engineering,
• Regulatory, social, environmental and economic drivers,
• The importance of multipurpose designs,
• Environmental and economic quantification of NBS benefits,
• Ecosystem services accounting and life cycle analysis,
• Treatment wetlands for wastewater treatment,
• Technologies for urban and rural water management,
• Sustainable urban drainage systems,
• Green roofs and walls,
• Industrial wastewater treatment with NBS,
• Municipal wastewater treatment with NBS,
• Natural flood management,
• Ecosystem restoration,
• Environmental connectivity and wildlife corridors,
• Integrating NBS in the circular economy.

Timetable

Week 1: Introduction and NBS Framework,*

Week 2: Tools for NBS schemes,

Week 3: NBS technologies overview,

Week 4: Feasibility design of treatment wetlands,*

Week 5: NBS for non-sewage applications,

Week 6: Integrating NBS in urban environments,

Week 7: Implementing NBS at the catchment level,

Week 8: Course wrap up, review and final assignment description,*

Weeks 9 to 16: individual time for final assignment,

*indicates live session. Please note, if you cannot join the live session, a recording will be made available to view offline.

Who should attend

The course is open to delegates from a variety of backgrounds, including environmental scientists, biologists, civil and environmental engineers, and those interested in using ecological principles to solve environmental challenges in urban and rural settings.

Partnerships

The course is supported by the International Water Association, the Constructed Wetland Association (CWA), British Water and The Nature Conservancy.

Speakers

Dr Gabriela Dotro
Dr Robert Grabowski
Professor Jim Harris
Professor Bruce Jefferson
Professor Paul Leinster
Dr Heather Smith
Joanna Zowadzka
Gareth Brown
Dr Nick Girkin
Dr Adrian Williams
Dr Andrea Momblanch

In addition, this course will be supported by a number of external speakers:

Abraham Esteve, Alejandra Maine, Alexandros Stefanakis, Ana Galvao, Anacleto Rizzo, Andrew Freeman, David Schaub-Jones, Diederik Rousseau, Emma Wren, Fabio Masi, Geoff Durno, Guenter Langergraber, John Williams, Lucille Paltriguera, Matthew Simpson, Matthew Palmer, Sophie Tremolet, Stan Kang and Vit Rous.

Concessions

Discounts are available for Cranfield staff and alumni, IWA, CWA and British Water members.