Nature-based Solutions
for societal challenges

WHAT ARE NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS?

Nature-based solutions (NbS) are strategies that protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural or modified ecosystems to address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits. These solutions harness the power of nature to tackle various environmental, social, and economic issues, such as climate change, food and water security, disaster risk reduction, and sustainable urban development.

The approaches that are covered in this handbook have the same overall structure, and you can navigate to them either by identifying the societal problem that you want to address, or the ecosystem where you want to apply a Nature-based solution. The following topics are addressed in all of our pages on approaches for Nature-based solutions. 

WHAT A general description of what the approach adds to a NbS

WHERE In which ecosystem(s) can this approach to NbS be used.  

WHY What can this approach to NbS be used for, and which societal problems can it address 

HOW What are the possible ways to carry out this approach in a NbS on the ground?  

POTENTIAL OUTCOMES The potential outcomes (direct ecological effects in the long and short term), and positive and negative side-effects of the NbS using this approach

ATTENTION! Important things to think about if you want to use this approach for a NbS in your particular location, including how ecosystem type, ecology, physical constraints, societal barriers, social acceptability, funding, policy, laws and regulations.  

HOW MUCH DO WE KNOW How much information and research is available about the effectiveness (long and short term) of this approach

Costs A qualitative estimate of the overall monetary costs of the implementation of this NbS approach in terms of manpower, technology, costs of buying land, operational costs, maintenance and monitoring costs, etc.  

Case studies from the Nordic countries 

References for further reading and scientific evidence for the usefulness of this approach to a NbS