After a day spent outdoors at the pilot sites, Thursday and Friday marked a clear return to workshop mode. The focus shifted back into developing concrete ResiRiver outputs.
Day 3 | Thursday, May 21
Work package 2 organised a session on the Nature-based Solution (NbS) mainstreaming learning modules and their development. The goal? To create educational materials that support practitioners, students, and professionals in applying the mainstreaming of NbS in practice. Rather than simply presenting content, participants were actively involved. The group shared expertise, real life examples, and existing materials to help improve and refine the training modules. With so much knowledge in the room, the modules took a noticeable step forward!
The workshop was followed by an update from Yvo Snoek on the development of a ResiRiver tool to assess NbS mainstreaming. This tool is designed as a practical alternative to the IUCN Global Standard assessment and helps pilot owners keep track of where they stand in the mainstreaming process. The presentation showed steady progress and reinforced the tool’s role as one of ResiRiver’s key practical products.
After lunch and a brief walk in the sun, the group reconvened for the next workshop. Led by work package 3, the attention turned to the intersection of practice and policy by means of the ResiRiver guideline. Our project focus is shifting to the mainstreaming of NbS, but what makes a mainstreaming guideline effective? And how can a guideline speak to both practitioners and policymakers? Participants split into smaller groups, each focusing on different elements of the guideline. The session ended with firm building blocks of a clear, user-oriented guideline.
Day 4 | Friday, May 22
The final morning of the ResiRiver midterm brought everyone together one last time. Work package 1 held their workshop, focusing on integrated planning for NbS application at pilot locations.
The session opened with a live panel discussion, where pilot owners shared how they track progress within their NbS pilots using the integrated ResiRiver project template. Contributions came from Damien Sansen (Vesdre), Frank Collas (Sediment Nourishment Meuse), Berry Gersonius (Wantij), and Yoann Le Savouroux (Lys). Across the board, pilot owners responded with one key message standing out: they wished they would have had access to the template from the very start. Having a structured way to organise data and track progress makes the early phases of a project significantly easier. Following a short coffee break, the workshop continued in a hands-on format. Participants worked through the progress and timelines of current ResiRiver pilots, offering a clear overview of how far each pilot has come.
A highlight of the morning was a presentation by Aude Martin and Cécile Pestelard (VNF). They shared how NbS have recently been embedded in their organisation’s vision document. A concrete and timely example of NbS mainstreaming in action and a moment of shared pride for the entire ResiRiver team.
Project manager Stanford Wilson officially closed the midterm meeting. He reflected on the progress made, key takeaways from the past few days, and most importantly; the relevance and urgency of the work ResiRiver is doing.
The final lunch marked the end of a productive and constructive week. It was a moment to look back, reconnect, and appreciate the collaboration that continues to drive the project forward.
Photo credits: Gaby Ahnert