Nature-Based Solutions

Nature-based solutions (NbS) are defined as ‘actions to protect, conserve, restore, sustainably use and manage natural or modified terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems, which address social, economic and environmental challenges effectively and adaptively, while simultaneously providing human well-being, ecosystem services and resilience and biodiversity benefits.’ (UNEA, 2022).

Nature-based solutions for addressing impacts of climate change can be designed to provide adaptation and mitigation benefits. Well-designed NbS aim to solve crucial challenges, which can include water security, food security, and human health. For example, an intervention like restoring a seaward mangrove belt may not only improve the structural integrity and resilience of an earthen embankment but also protect the coastal and inward areas from loss of life and livelihood during an extreme event like a cyclone. It also leads to sediment accretion, which further strengthens the coast. This also helps marine and terrestrial biodiversity, and restores habitats and connectivity for important species. In due course, the restored mangrove ecosystem would sequester carbon and provide local livelihood resources through NTFPs (Non-Timber Forest Produce).

Another effective NbS example is wetland conservation. Saving these ecosystems and improving the connectivity of rivers can play a pivotal role in improving flood resilience, sequestering carbon, recharging groundwater, regulating local climate, and providing vital habitats for biodiversity.

NbS can lead to short-term as well as lasting benefits. They hold the potential to catalyse transformational change, thereby improving the resilience and adaptive capacity of systems.