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Vegetated roofs are human-manufactured ecosystems and potentially promising conservation tools for various taxa and habitats. Focussing on arthropods, we conducted a 3 year study on newly constructed vegetated roofs with shallow substrates (up to 10 cm) and vegetation established with pre-grown mats, plug plants and seeds to describe pioneer arthropod communities on roofs and to compare them with ground level communities. We vacuum sampled arthropods from the roofs and nearby ground level sites with low, open vegetation, i.e., potential source habitats. We showed that the roofs and ground sites resembled each other for ordinal species richness but differed in community composition: with time the roofs started to resemble each other rather than their closest ground level habitats. Species richness increased with time on roofs and at ground level, but the roofs had consistently less species than the ground sites and only a few species were unique to the roofs. Also, the proportion of predators increased on roofs, while not at ground level. We conclude that vegetated roofs established with similar substrates and vegetation, filter arthropods in a way that produces novel communities that are different from those at ground level but similar to one another. The role of these insular communities in species networks and ecosystem function remains to be investigated.

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This Handbook has been developed in the framework of the ThinkNature project. Its main objective is to gather and promote state-of-the-art knowledge regarding Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), comprising a comprehensive guide to all relevant actors. To this end, each aspect of NBS is investigated, from project development to financing and policy making, and is presented in a concise and comprehensive way, in order to be easily understandable. Regarding the EU agenda around NBS, this Handbook contributes to: • Expanding the knowledge base about the effectiveness of NBS, • Supporting the implementation of NBS through enhancing their replicability and upscaling, • Utilising the knowledge and experience of stakeholders, and • Proposing a comprehensive methodological approach for innovation.

ThinkNature project funded by the EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 730338 Nature-based solutions (NBS) are actions inspired by, supported by, or copied from nature, that deploy various natural features and processes, are resource efficient and adapted to systems in diverse spatial areas, facing social, environmental, and economic challenges. The main goals of NBS are the enhancement of sustainable urbanisation (Figure ES.1), the restoration of degraded ecosystems, the development of climate change adaptation and mitigation, and the improvement of risk management and resilience. Moreover, NBS address global challenges, directly connected to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). NBS provide multiple benefits and have been identified as critical for the regeneration and improvement of wellbeing in urban areas, coastal resilience, multifunctional watershed management, and ecosystem restoration. They also increase the sustainability of matter and energy use, enhance the insurance value of ecosystems, and increase carbon sequestration. The vision of the European Commission is to position the EU as a leader in naturebased innovation for sustainable and resilient societies. Establishing an NBS evidence and knowledge base, developing a repository of best practices, creating an NBS Community of Innovators, and improving communication ' and NBS awareness are the main actions to achieve this vision. The added value of the NBS knowledge repository would be better dissemination and visibility, and better uptake and mainstreaming of NBS, as well as contributing to and establishing lively Community of Practice. The evidence for NBS includes NBS case studies, business cases, facts and figures supporting NBS effectiveness and NBS added value, and successes and failures