In May Jane da Mosto attended the 6th Ecosystem Services Partnership Europe Conference in Prague. Her contribution “Why restoring the health of the lagoon system is crucial for Venice, and how it can be revived” highlighted work being carried out by the WaterLANDS project at the Italian Action Site and was included in the session on “Nature-based solutions for transformative change: advancing knowledge and practice” coordinated by researchers from Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ Leipzig and Humboldt University Berlin, Germany. This experience brought into sharp focus how important the practical approach of NGOs can be for guiding academic research efforts.