Nature-based Solutions

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) is an umbrella concept concerning all actions and approaches related to the management of ecosystems and biodiversity to address both global environmental and societal challenges, including climate change. The potential of NbS is gaining prominence among global policy arenas because of its cost-effectiveness and ability to deliver multiple co-benefits for nature and people. Broadly speaking, NbS offer the opportunity to address three of the most critical challenges of the Anthropocene:

1. tackle climate change through adaptation and mitigation,
2. halt biodiversity loss, and
3. contribute to human health and well-being.

The concept of NbS integrates previously established nature-based approaches such as:

• ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA),
• eco-disaster risk reduction,
• green infrastructure and
• natural climate solutions.

Central to the NbS concept is the premise that healthy and resilient ecosystems produce a diverse range of services on which human well-being depends. The application of NbS involves a range of actions that can use, manage, or be inspired by nature, including preserving and restoring natural and modified ecosystems, creating novel ecosystems, building and integrating green and blue infrastructure, and adopting multiple ecosystem-based approaches in both rural and urban landscapes.

Building on previous concepts such as EbA, the NbS approach has motivated promising undertakings around the world. At present, many NbS projects show potential cost-effectiveness compared to hard engineered and more techno-centric solutions – partly given to the multiple benefits they generate. However, there is a lack of systematic collection and review of scientific evidence to assess their actual effectiveness. The Nature-based Solutions Initiative (NBSI) is proactively gathering scientific evidence to inform the development and implementation of NbS-related interdisciplinary research, policy and practice. As of 2020, about 65% (250 out of 384) of the NbS-related academic publications reviewed by the NBSI were linked to climate change adaptation. This theme will become a new repository for NbS case studies to learn from. Learn more about NbS through the Introduction to Nature-based Solutions article.