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  • Posted by IUCN Academy on January 28, 2025 at 12:28 pm

    🌿🌍 Welcome to the Professional Certificate on the IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions!

    We’re thrilled to have you on board and can’t wait to embark on this 7-week learning journey together!

    Our goal? To provide you with a rich and engaging experience that equips you to assess NbS projects like a pro, supports your certification, and—of course—brings a few fun moments along the way!

    This forum is your community space—a place to connect, collaborate, and introduce yourselves! 🤝

    To break the ice, we’d love for you to share a bit about yourself:

    📝 Your name
    📍 Where you’re joining from
    🌱 How this course will benefit your work
    🎯 What you hope to take away from it

    Feel free to add anything else you’d like—this is your space! 💬

    Let’s get started! 😊

    Hui replied 2 days, 19 hours ago 44 Members · 44 Replies
  • 44 Replies
  • farahanizayasn

    Member
    January 31, 2025 at 9:15 am

    My name is Nasim and I am a Programme Officer at IUCN Academy.

    I come from the academic world, where I also enjoyed being a teaching assistant.

    Having longed for a new professional adventure, I have been working on designing and delivering educational programmes at IUCN for a year and a half now.

    My primary objective is to ensure, together with my colleagues, that your learning experience is seamless and rewarding.

    I am based at the IUCN Headquarters in Gland, a small town on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland.

    I look forward to assisting you on your learning journey and connecting with all of you.

    A warm welcome,

    Nasim

    • Maryam

      Member
      February 11, 2025 at 2:45 pm

      Dear Nasim,

      I hope this email finds you well. My name is Maryam Avishan, and I am from Iran. I have recently joined this course and would like to address a couple of issues I am facing.

      Firstly, the Zoom platform is blocked in Iran, which prevented me from attending the first session as I did not have access to a VPN. For today’s session, I plan to use a VPN; however, I am concerned that my internet connection may be too weak to join successfully. I did manage to watch the first session on YouTube. Would it be possible for me to participate in the live session through another platform?

      Secondly, I have reached out to a few participants to form a team but have not yet received any responses. If team members were assigned during the first session, could you please inform me which group I am in and how I can connect with them?

      Thank you very much for your assistance.

      Best regards,

      Maryam

  • Rindra

    Member
    January 31, 2025 at 2:20 pm

    Hello, my name is Rindra and I am from Antananarivo, Madagascar.

    I currently work as part of the regional implementation team of the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Funds in the Madagascar and Indian Ocean islands hotspot of biodiversity, with the current investment phase focused on the implementation of Ecosystem-based Adaptation projects.

    In my role, I have to assess, monitor and review the projects especially regarding the Nature-based Solution for climate adaptation. I believe this course will help me not only to have a better understanding of what is NbS, but also to strengthen the capacity of our collaborators regarding the topic, and to ensure that the projects implemented well-comply with what is really expected.

    I hope the various exchanges will allow all of us to gain a wide range of knowledge and understanding regarding our respective fields of activities, and I am eager to interact with you all.

  • Irene

    Member
    January 31, 2025 at 4:02 pm

    My name is Irene Nanyondo from Uganda, the Pearl of Africa. I am a forester by profession and have worked with the Ministry of Water and Environment in Kampala for the past nine years. Currently, I serve as a Senior Forest Officer, contributing to sustainable management of Uganda’s forest resources, supporting policy development, and overseeing the implementation of environmental conservation efforts. I am eager to exchange
    knowledge and learn from experts across the world on the applicability of Nature-Based Solutions in addressing environmental challenges.
    I look
    forward to insightful discussions and practical approaches that can enhance
    sustainable land use and climate resilience

    • This reply was modified 2 weeks ago by  Irene.
    • This reply was modified 2 weeks ago by  Irene.
    • This reply was modified 2 weeks ago by  Irene.
    • This reply was modified 2 weeks ago by  Irene.
    • Angella

      Member
      February 3, 2025 at 10:56 am

      Hi Irene,
      Fellow Ugandan here, glad to see you onboard 😊

  • Stephen

    Member
    January 31, 2025 at 5:55 pm

    Hi,

    My name is Stephen. I am a transport planner based in Cardiff (Wales).

    In my work I help to design sustainable transport schemes and design in further benefits for the environment. I see NbS as really important to this and hope to gain skills from this course to take into my day job.

    I hope to take some practical ideas which I can use in a commercial environment

  • Upendra

    Member
    January 31, 2025 at 10:29 pm

    Hi, I am Upendra , a Doctoral Researcher based in England, originally from Sri Lanka, specializing in the integration of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) into automotive design to drive carbon reductions in the industry. With a background in environmental science and natural resource management, I have experience in carbon footprint analysis and GHG inventory verifications. I am eager to expand my knowledge of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) to enhance my research and professional qualifications.

    Looking forward to connecting and learning!

  • linton.arneaud

    Member
    February 1, 2025 at 4:10 am

    Hey guys, I am a naturalist and lecturer in Ecology at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus in Barbados (the Caribbean). My approach to Nature-Based Solutions [NbS] emphasizes education and outreach. I believe that by breaking down the complexities of NbS into accessible information, we can empower everyday individuals (the first responders) to adopt positive environmental practices and cultivate a deeper appreciation for nature within younger generations.

  • Rakeshni

    Member
    February 1, 2025 at 4:59 am

    Hello, everyone. My name is Rakeshni, and I serve as a Training and Capacity-Building Officer for Nature-based Solutions (NbS) at the Pacific Community (SPC), based in Suva, Fiji.

    Currently, I am actively involved in the Promoting Pacific Islands Nature-based Solutions (PPIN) project, which focuses on understanding and implementing global standards for NbS. This professional certificate course aligns directly with my work, as it will deepen my expertise in applying these standards to advance sustainable, ecosystem-driven strategies in the Pacific region.

    By participating in this course, I aim to gain practical insights into leveraging global frameworks as tools to scale up NbS initiatives. This knowledge will enhance my ability to build local capacity, strengthen resilience in Pacific Island communities, and ensure our projects align with international best practices. I look forward to contributing these learnings to our team’s mission of fostering climate adaptation and biodiversity conservation across the region.

  • Risa Shingo

    Member
    February 2, 2025 at 2:56 pm

    Hi, I’m Risa joining from Japan.

    I am a market researcher in consumer behaviour and would love to pivot my career towards climate risk assessment as well as utilizing NbS in city development. This is a big stretch from my current role but the idea of NbS is intriguing and would love to learn more about applying this in real life.

  • Angella

    Member
    February 3, 2025 at 10:55 am

    I am Angella Lekea, from Uganda.
    I work as a geotechnical engineer. I also believe in adaptation and resilience of infrastructure to climate change with particular interest in road infrastructure.

    By taking part in this class, I hope to gain knowledge in NbS and apply them correctly to ensure sustainable infrastructure development. I am also looking forward to getting to know all of you 😊

  • calebchoi

    Member
    February 3, 2025 at 12:35 pm

    Hi everyone,

    This is Caleb from WWF-Hong Kong, I am a wetland manager and l believe this course will benefit my work in explaining the importance of wetland conservation with different stakeholders and open up new opportunities of co-creation and collaborations in nature-based conservation initiatives. I look forward to learn with you all.

  • Suzan

    Member
    February 3, 2025 at 1:52 pm

    Hello everyone,

    My name is Suzan Al Kaki and I am currently joining from Riyadh – KSA. I am excited to be part of this course as I believe it will upgrade my knowledge and understanding of NbS. With background in conservation and biodiversity protection, I aim to integrate the knowledge I gain here to advance sustainable practices and integrate NbS in the project’s I work on within my organization.

    I hope to take a way the best of what this course provides us and to meet and engage with other professionals working toward the same goal.

    Looking forward to meeting and engaging with everyone!

  • alzahrani

    Member
    February 3, 2025 at 2:05 pm

    Hi everyone,

    My name is Abdulrahman, from Saudi Arabia. I work in King Abdulaziz Natural Reserve. my education background in environmental and Animal Science. I believe joining this course will increase my understanding about Nbs and will allow me to implement what is possible in the reserve as well as share the knowledge with others in order to spread the importance of Nbs to the whole world.

    Looking froward to meet you all

    Best Regards

    Abdulrahman

  • Kristie

    Member
    February 3, 2025 at 2:42 pm

    I am Kristie Lo, from Hong Kong/ London, UK. I split my time between these two places.

    I work for a business organisation which focuses on promoting sustainability in the energy industry. The challenge that we are facing is that everyone is viewing NbS differently, and still very much focused on carbon. I hope to learn from this course, and bring what I have learned back to my work.

  • Matija Petkovic

    Member
    February 3, 2025 at 3:55 pm

    Hi all,

    Matija from Arup, Belgrade office in Serbia.

    I’m an ecologist and biodiversity consultant. I’m here to learn how to integrate Nature-based Solutions into conservation and infrastructure projects, especially in offset plan.

    Looking forward to practical insights and new perspectives!

  • loftusr

    Member
    February 3, 2025 at 5:12 pm

    Hi all, I’m Ruth. I’m working as a Temporary Program Officer for the IUCN Academy, based at the IUCN HQ in Switzerland. I’ll be joining this Nature based Solutions course more in the background to offer support to participants and speakers. I’m especially keen to see how you all collaborate and learn from each other in this course, and I am looking forward to hearing your professional insights on this fascinating NbS topic. Enjoy!

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