This domain will initiate and sustain dialogue among the various stakeholders (private and public sector, architects, practitioners, policy maker), on nature-based solutions in the context of climate change adaptation and mitigation. The dialogue will address integrated and holistic solutions that meet both adaptation and mitigation objectives and are applicable across different sectors such as integrating materials, green and blue infrastructure, and enhancing ecosystems. Natural resources management and cost-effectiveness enhancement of NBS in order to address societal and environmental challenges such as developing low cost, low maintenance and low carbon emissions solutions to climate change challenges. Integration of new and innovative approaches and Methods for robust monitoring of the performance and assessment of the impact of deployed NBS will be examined.
Does "greening" of neotropical cities considerably mitigate carbon dioxide emissions? The case of Medellin, Colombia
Cities throughout the world are advocating highly promoted tree plantings as a climate change mitigation measure. Assessing the carbon offsets associated with urban trees relative to other climate change policies is vital for sustainable development, planning, and solving environmental and socio-economic problems, but is difficult in developing countries. We estimated and assessed carbon dioxide (CO2) storage, sequestration, and emission offsets by public trees in the Medellin Metropolitan Area, Colombia, as a viable Nature-Based Solution for the Neotropics.
Going green? Ex-post valuation of a multipurpose water infrastructure in Northern Italy
A contingent valuation approach is used to estimate how households value different multipurpose infrastructures (conventional or green) for managing flood risk and water pollution. As a case study we consider the Gorla Maggiore water park located in the Lombardy Region, in Northern Italy. The park is a neo-ecosystem including an infrastructure to treat waste water and store excess rain water, built in 2011 on the shore of the Olona River in an area previously used for poplar plantation. This park is the first one of this type built in Italy.
A framework for assessing and implementing the co-benefits of nature-based solutions in urban areas
To address challenges associated with climate resilience, health and well-being in urban areas, current policy platforms are shifting their focus from ecosystem-based to nature-based solutions (NBS), broadly defined as solutions to societal challenges that are inspired and supported by nature. NBS result in the provision of co-benefits, such as the improvement of place attractiveness, of health and quality of life, and creation of green jobs.
Nature-based solutions: Lessons from around the world
This paper considers an emerging group of coastal management approaches that offer the potential to reduce coastal flood and erosion risks while also providing nature conservation, aesthetic and amenity benefits. These solutions mimic the characteristics of natural features, but are enhanced or created by man to provide specific services such as wave energy dissipation and erosion reduction. Such approaches can include beaches, dunes, saltmarshes, mangroves, sea grasses, coral and oyster reefs.
Nature-based agricultural solutions: Scaling perennial grains across Africa
Modern plant breeding tends to focus on maximizing yield, with one of the most ubiquitous implementations being shorter-duration crop varieties. It is indisputable that these breeding efforts have resulted in greater yields in ideal circumstances; however, many farmed locations across Africa suffer from one or more conditions that limit the efficacy of modern short-duration hybrids.
Nature-based solutions to promote human resilience and wellbeing in cities during increasingly hot summers
Air temperatures are increasing because of global climate change. A warming phenomenon strongly related to global climate change is the urban heat island. It has been shown that the hotter temperatures occurring in cities during the summer negatively affect human wellbeing, but little is known about the potential mechanisms underlying the relationships between hotter temperatures, cognitive psychological resources and wellbeing.
Integration of the ecosystem services concept in planning documents from six municipalities in southwestern Sweden
The ecosystem services (ES) concept refers to benefits that humanity receives from nature. Investigating how this concept has been embraced within urban planning is important when assessing the awareness of human dependence on natural functions and the potential for the ES concept to increase this awareness. We analyzed planning documents from three small and three large municipalities in southern Sweden to see how explicitly the ES concept was addressed and which individual services were mentioned.
Using local knowledge and sustainable transport to promote a greener city: The case of Bucharest, Romania
Cities undergoing climate change and rapid urbanization are faced with significant transformational processes that affect the environment and society, challenging them to become more sustainable and resilient. The promotion of nature-based solutions represents an efficient approach to meet sustainability targets in cities and improve the quality of life of citizens.
Melaleuca entrapping microsites as a nature based solution to coastal erosion: A pilot study in Kien Giang, Vietnam
Accumulation of fine grained sediment and natural regeneration of mangrove species are normally prioritized to control erosion on mangrove dominated muddy coasts. Current solutions to manage eroded mangrove dominated muddy coasts have been not as cost-effective as expected. Entrapping microsites, although mainly used for restoring eroded terrestrial resources, were first tested for restoring an eroded mangrove dominated muddy coast of Vam Ray, Hon Dat, Kien Giang, Vietnam.
Ecosystem services: Urban parks under a magnifying glass
Urban areas’ population has grown during the last century and it is expected that over 60% of the world population will live in cities by 2050. Urban parks provide several ecosystem services that are valuable to the well-being of city-dwellers and they are also considered a nature-based solution to tackle multiple environmental problems in cities. However, the type and amount of ecosystem services provided will vary with each park vegetation type, even within same the park.