Urban green space provides multiple benefits to city dwellers- both human and non-human. These 'nature-based solutions' include mitigating urban heat and stormwater runoff, providing biodiversity habitat and contributing to human health and wellbeing, and social and cultural processes, which are key elements in creating ecological cities. In the transition to eco-cities, public policies for urban green space provision can make substantial contributions.

This reference book is made up of currently 26 individual Synthesis Papers (SPs) generated by the OpenNESS members. The individual SPs have been formally consulted within the entire OpenNESS consortium and hence represent an agreed document for OpenNESS defining and elaborating on essential ideas linked to the ecosystem service concept. All SPs have been gone through an editorial process including approved revisions. The consultation was handled for the consortium in a transparent way, e.g., the consortium could see how authors responded to the comments/criticism on the original drafts.

Natural Solutions, in the context of this Guide, refer to those urban interventions from a broad perspective, use nature - and its processes - to mitigate the impacts arising from climate change and foster the adaptation of the municipality and the general public to the changes. These Natural Solutions include both micro-scale interventions in buildings, such as green roofs and facades, and also other natural elements, blue and green infrastructures in the public spaces, connected to the parks and natural areas of the municipalities.

The BiodivERsA Stakeholder Engagement Handbook is a non-academic practical guide for researchers planning and carrying out research projects. It is designed to assist research teams identify relevant stakeholders to engage with in order to enhance the impact of their work. The Handbook draws upon exiting literature and presents case studies that provide clear, simple guidance, which considers ‘why’, ‘who’, ‘when’ and ‘how’ to engage.

This book brings together research findings and experiences from science, policy and practice to highlight and debate the importance of nature-based solutions to climate change adaptation in urban areas. Emphasis is given to the potential of nature-based approaches to create multiple-benefits for society. The expert contributions present recommendations for creating synergies between ongoing policy processes, scientific programmes and practical implementation of climate change and nature conservation measures in global urban areas.

We are facing a broad range of challenges, such as unsustainable urbanization and related human health issues, degradation and loss of natural capital and the ecosystem services it provides (clean air, water and soil), climate change and an alarming increase of natural disaster risks. Currently over 70% of Europe's population live in cities, expected to increase to over 80% by the middle of the century. This translates to 36 million new urban citizens, who will need housing, employment and care by 2050.

The state of our health services is rarely out of the news. Understandably, there is a huge concern about acute provision and the treatment of ill health. Much has been written about the increased incidence of obesity, the persistence of health inequalities and the best ways to care for an ageing population. We believe that much greater priority needs to be given to prevention of ill health in public health and social care. In April 2013, responsibility for public health moved from the NHS in England to local authorities.

There is a growing concern in government with the health status of the population and its increasing sedentary lifestyle. 23% of males and 26% of females in the UK are classified as sedentary. The cost of physical inactivity in England is estimated at £8.2bn per year with an additional £2.5bn as the contribution of inactivity to obesity. The Public Health White Paper (Department of Health, 2004a) has, as three of its six overarching priorities, ‘reducing obesity’, ‘increasing exercise’ and ‘improving mental health’. Greenspace can contribute to the delivery of these objectives.

Restoration of degraded land is recognized by the international community as an important way of enhancing both biodiversity and ecosystem services, but more information is needed about its costs and benefits. In Cambridgeshire, U.K., a long‐term initiative to convert drained, intensively farmed arable land to a wetland habitat mosaic is driven by a desire both to prevent biodiversity loss from the nationally important Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve (Wicken Fen NNR) and to increase the provision of ecosystem services.

This report follows on from the English Nature report Revealing the Value of Nature and picks up in more detail references to quality of life. In today’s society, and with government looking at joined up thinking, it is important to assess the benefits achieved by the work of English Nature and other conservation organisations over and above that for nature conservation.