What are Nature-based solutions?

Nature-based solutions (NbS) are actions 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.  

Nbs are:

  • A cost-effective way of meeting the Societal Development Goals: they address societal challenges while safeguarding benefits to biodiversity and human well-being
  • Vital in addressing climate change and biodiversity loss
  • Tackle societal challenges using opportunities and models created by ecosystem elements and processes
  • An umbrella concept including established approaches (e.g. ecological engineering, ecological restoration, blue-green infrastructure, ecosystem-based adaptation, ecosystem-based management, area-based conservation)

Types of NbS

Nature-based solutions encompass many different actions spanning protection, sustainable use, and restoration of ecosystems to solve societal challenges such as climate change adaptation, food security, biodiversity loss and climate change mitigation and adaptation.   

Traditionally, NbS can be divided into actions targeting a range of specific ecosystem services which address a variable number of ecosystem functions emphasising biodiversity. In this handbook, we focus on approaches suitable for NbS which address multiple ecosystem functions, processes, and societal problems. There are no examples of highly constructed or “grey-green” infrastructure included in this handbook.