From 10 to 11 December 2024, Monastir hosted a training workshop dedicated to the evaluation of Nature-based Solutions (Nbs) projects for the benefit of Tunisian civil society organizations. Organized by the IUCN Tunisian Committee, in partnership with IUCN-Med, the French IUCN Committee and the Ministry of the Environment of Tunisia, this event marks a first in supporting local associations to implement Nbs projects.

 

Training focused on Nbs:

Nature-based Solutions are innovative approaches that use protection, sustainable management and restoration of ecosystems to address environmental and societal challenges such as:

  • Climate change
    Food and water security
    Loss of biodiversity
    Community health and resilience

 

The workshop allowed 25 participants from 22 IUCN-Med Mubadarat partner associations to become familiar with the Global Standard for Nbs. This standard, developed by IUCN, provides concrete tools, such as online self-assessment, to effectively design, implement and evaluate projects adapted to their local contexts.

A platform for exchange and capacity building:

For the first time, associations from different regions of Tunisia worked together in a participatory way on the evaluation of four Nbs projects proposed by IUCN members and beneficiaries of the PPI OSCAN and TransCap programmes.

This group dynamic enabled:

  • In-depth collective learning: by sharing their knowledge, participants gained a better understanding of the Nbs criteria and indicators.
  • Enriching sharing of experiences: the discussions helped to put

in light of the various approaches and challenges, related to the contexts and levels of experience of the associations.

  • Broader perspectives: the exchanges helped identify alternatives for project implementation and strengthened participants’ capacity to integrate solutions adapted to their communities.

The participants’ feedback highlighted how these collaborative exchanges allowed them to realize aspects of their projects that they had not thought about and to think more deeply about their methods and approaches.

 

A crucial step for conservation in North Africa

This workshop is a key step in building the capacity of civil society in implementing Nbs projects. It is part of the Mubadarat strategy, which aims to support local initiatives for effective and sustainable conservation.

This event also opens up opportunities for IUCN-Med’s ongoing collaboration with its partners, to develop training courses adapted to civil society and support young associations in their local initiatives.

To learn more about our initiatives and events, stay tuned.