On January 22-23, 2025, the Office International de l’Eau (OiEau), NATALIE’s project coordinator, Sonia Siauve, participated in the renowned French congress “Carrefour des Gestions Locales de l’Eau-CGLE” (Local Water Management Forum) in Rennes, France. This annual congress, renowned as a cornerstone event for the French water sector, gathered approximately 16,000 participants and 600 exhibitors, including regions, local authorities, water managers, solution providers and design and consultancy firms. The congress provides an invaluable platform for stakeholders across the water management landscape to exchange ideas, foster innovation, and collaborate on solutions.
As a regular participant, OiEau not only hosts an official stand but also showcases emblematic projects and sets up themed educational areas, notably one about Nature-Based Solutions (NBS)since 2023.
This year (2025), Sonia SIAUVE represented the NATALIE project to raise awareness about the project’s objectives and the importance of NBS as robust measure of adaptation to climate change, with selected regional and national policymakers.
The NATALIE roll-up and flyers were installed in the educational area of the congress dedicated to NBS, drawing significant attention of a lot of participants, among which some representative of the Region Grande Bretagne and of IUCN-France who notably discussed the opportunity for NATALIE project to be featured as an example in an upcoming publication about “NBS and Water security”.
Events like these are instrumental in promoting NATALIE’s mission, connecting with stakeholders, and positioning the project as a leader in advancing nature-based solutions for sustainable water management and climate resilience.