Nature-based solutions

Following severe flooding in 2007, a decision was taken in 2012 to explore nature-based solutions in 250-km2 river catchment in the southern Cotswolds in the United Kingdom. The project involves working with landowners to create in channel, riparian, field, and woodland structures aimed at attenuating high flows or increasing infiltration rates to reduce flood risk. After 3 years, it is clear that the threshold for effectiveness requires the implementation of measures throughout large areas of the upstream catchment. Early results suggest that social, as well as natural, capital has been enhanced through the project. What is clear is the beneficial role of working with multiple stakeholders to implement natural flood management on a catchment wide scale. In this sense, the project has adopted a comanagement approach that brings together the knowledge of hydrologists, ecologists, farmers, woodland owners, and the local community to implement locally agreed solutions within a broader project framework. This paper will outline the initial findings and the governance structure within a theoretical framework of comanagement and suggest how this type of framework is suitable for a range of nature-based solutions across Europe. However, the challenge remains in capturing the multiple benefits that such projects offer as these are often missed through conventional approaches such as cost–benefit analysis. The paper concludes by presented along with a potential way forward for a proof of concept for nature-based solutions.

The constant pursuit by cities for implementing sustainable urban development policies in order to address interrelated crises of socio-economic and environmental nature, such as the combined effect of climate change and the urban heat island (UHI), highlights the importance of an ecosystem approach to spatial planning. Green Infrastructure (GI) is considered to be one of the most efficient ways to address these new urban challenges. An increasing number of policy documents and legislation focus on the importance of GI and the benefits it can offer by its integration in spatial planning. The paper attempts to provide a comprehensive review of the literature about the concept of GI and its contribution to sustainable urban development and investigates to what extent and in what way critical assets of GI are integrated into the existing spatial planning system in Greece. The research is based on the study of the basic institutional framework, important policy documents and a sample of statutory spatial plans. The aim is to highlight both the potential and the critical inadequacies of the Greek spatial planning system regarding GI and to stress the need for the adoption of an ecosystem-based approach to spatial planning to address the interrelated crises.

Smart Control of the Climate Resilience in European Coastal Cities (acronym: SCORE)
Call: H2020-LC-CLA-2018-2019-2020 Topic: LC-CLA-13-2020
European Commission 2021-2025

Costal City Living labs (CCLL) is one of the main concepts behind SCORE: it is a new approach that expands the living lab concept in coastal cities to address climate change adaptation and resilience issues.
      • The overall aim of SCORE is to design, develop, monitor and validate robust adaptation measures in coastal and low-lying areas to protect them from increasing climate and sea level risks, including coastal flooding and erosion, to enhance their overall long-term resilience.
• SCORE is based on co-design, co-development, deploying, testing, and demonstrating innovative EBAs, smart technologies and hybrid Nature Based Solutions (NBSs), while facilitating financial sustainability.
• Lead Partner Dr Salem Gharbia It Sligo, Ireland
• Slovenian Lead, Dr Shé Hawke, accompanied By Dr Cécil Meulenberg; Dr Irina Cavaion; Dr Blaž Lenarčič
Mediterranean Institute for Environmental Studies, Science and Research Centre (ZRS), Koper, Slovenia.

Feeding the future world population sustainably and satisfactorily requires, among others, accessibility to water resources of adequate quantity and quality. Yet, conventional interventions solely based on ‘hard’ engineering solutions and infrastructural development have provided valuable lessons as they can compromise various ecosystem services that are required for stable water flows. Hence, calls for a shift in water management paradigms are justified and should prioritize in the political agendas. Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) offer a promising contribution on how to enhance the availability and quality of water for productive purposes and human consumption, while simultaneously striving to preserve the integrity and intrinsic value of the ecosystems. Implementing successful NBS for water management, however, is not an easy task since many ecosystems are already severely degraded, and exploited beyond their regenerative capacity. Furthermore, ecosystems are large and complex and the impact of interventions can only be assessed and analysed at a system-wide level. As a rule, many stakeholders are involved, as owners, users or caretakers, each with their own set of interests and values and it is not an easy task to reconcile these complex objectives and interests into a coherent set of principles and procedures. Simple market-based solutions such as partitioning of an ecosystem, attributing property rights and applying the polluter-pays-principle are often not sufficient for devising viable strategies. Implementation of NBS requires a structured and comprehensive approach that starts with the valuation of the services provided by the ecosystem. The whole set of use and non-use values, in monetary terms, provides a factual basis to guide the implementation of NBS, which ideally is done according to transdisciplinary principles, i.e. complemented with scientific and case-specific knowledge of the eco-system in an adaptive decision-making process that involves the relevant stakeholders. To maximize intended sustainability and scale of NBS results, a system-wide, country-driven capacity enhancement approach needs to be applied that independently empowers people, strengthens organizations, institutions, multi-stakeholder processes as well as the enabling policy environment based on assessed needs. In this discussion paper, twenty-one case studies of water management processes are analysed, using a non-representative literature survey, and checked to what extent they meet the requirements of the NBS implementation based on the criteria presented. It emerges that transdisciplinarity, stakeholder involvement, and well-designed funding schemes are important elements for successful implementation of NBS. Often, lengthy periods to organize participatory and transdisciplinary platforms are needed, which makes this process costly and as a result, complete implementation is often strained by funding shortages. Another common challenge in the surveyed examples is the minor role given to valuation of ecosystem services, an area for which the literature is still developing guidance while available valuation methods remain scattered, incomplete or imprecise. The less successful water management projects tend to suffer from inadequate factual and scientific basis and uncoordinated or insufficient stakeholder involvement. Successful case studies point to a satisfactory understanding of the functioning of ecosystems and the importance of multi-stakeholder platforms, well- identified funding schemes, and realistic monitoring and evaluation systems.

Cities often don't appreciate the benefits of green infrastructure (GI) enough. To recognise the extent to which green infrastructure and nature-based solutions (NbS) are present in the urban policy, we conducted a review of planning, strategic and programming documents of Poznań City as a Case Study. The study is aimed at 1) diagnosing of current position NbS in the tasks and directions of planning, strategic and programming documents ; 2) characteristic of activities related to NbS according to the form of human-nature interaction; 3) determining the potential of including NbS in the local policy; 4) identifying the role of NbS in facing 4 main challenges in urban policy: resilience and climate change adaptation, health and well-being, social cohesion, economic development potential. The results show that a significant number of actions focus on GI changes towards its multifunctionality and better quality, while there are not many actions towards supporting citizens in using it. Also, despite urban pressure, new green spaces are still planned to be created. The role of NbS within GI in urban resilience is well recognised. Yet, the adaptation to climate change has gained a low priority so far. Linkages between GI and the wellbeing of inhabitants are well understood. However, the possibility to build and strengthen social cohesion based on GI is rather marginally noticed. The least recognised is the influence of NbS on the economic development potential. It is an area that still needs to be investigated to bring evidence in this field. We conclude that to support large-scale, nature-based solution implementation in cities, the crucial step is to bring them into the local urban agenda. An evaluation of urban policy documents based on the presented approach can serve as a guideline for identifying gaps and potentials for NbS inclusion. As a result, it can help the better organisation of urban policy and harmonisation of different sectors through NbS.

Beavers lived in the rivers of Eurasia and North America for more than 20 million years. They are termed 'ecosystem engineers', since their dam building activities dramatically change the characteristics of river systems. They shape river valleys, and create new and enhanced ecosystems which cannot exist without them. The disappearance of beavers in North America led to severe problems such as incision, groundwater lowering and loss of land value. Despite these profound effects, little appears to be known about the engineering characteristics of beaver dams. Recently, artificial beaver dams have been introduced to restore these streams. Again, there appears to be little engineering input in these restoration efforts. A research programme was initiated at Southampton University to compile and analyse the engineering information about natural and artificial beaver dams. It was found that beaver dams are built in rivers of up to 33 m width. They modify the flow duration curves, increase ground water retention, reduce gradient and sediment transport, trap sediment and create enhanced ecosystems. Model tests showed that beavers employ interesting construction techniques, creating semi-permeable dams able to withstand flow volumes of up to 1.34 m 3 /s per meter width for a 1.4 m high dam. The work will allow creation of novel, nature based, cost-effective solutions for ecosystem redevelopment and river re-naturalisation.

Climate change impacts, especially on coastal cities, can no longer be ignored and in order to avoid significant losses in the built environment, the economy, and, by consequence, human health and life, it is imperative to address these impacts. We extrapolate the three pathways to urban resilience (persistence, adaptation, and transformation), as a function of the interrelations among the design of built forms (urban and landscape design), blue and green infrastructure (ecosystems), and knowledge-to-action (inclusion of local people and their knowledge). Accordingly, four urban and landscape design theories that integrate urban ecosystems are identified and linked to urban resilience and to the local ecological knowledge (LEK) through an inclusive design process (the charrette). The model is then applied to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, a city that is increasingly subjected to intense storm surges and to sea level rise in Atlantic Canada, where a series of design charrettes integrated the LEK into urban climate resilience proposals that serve as policy recommendations for future action.

This study reviews relevant Bangladeshi national policies from the past three decades to investigate NbS as a potential framework to address climate change and societal challenges in the country. We systematically analyzed twenty policy documents across three sectors: national development; disaster management and climate change; and environment and forest. Our study found growing emphasis on preservation, protection, and management of natural ecosystems in the national policies. However, our analysis showed that among the twenty policies, nineteen of them have no direct mention of NbS terminology. Instead, the policies include various strategies and terminologies that fall under the NbS umbrella, such as ecosystem-based adaptation, ecosystem services, and green and eco-building. However, these policies are still widely missing specific implementation guidelines, robust financial support, and institutional mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating NbS initiatives in Bangladesh. We recommend several policy actions to facilitate effective and inclusive NbS interventions in Bangladesh: enhance inter-ministry cooperation; develop national funding support; develop a national promotional campaign; pursue evidence-based research and capacity-building activities; and involve youth, marginalized people, and women. These actions can optimize the benefits of NbS to enhance the country’s resilience against climate change and foster sustainable development.

Despite substantial increases in the scope and magnitude of biodiversity conservation and ecological restoration, there remains ongoing degradation of natural resources that adversely affects both biodiversity and human well-being. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) can be an effective framework for reversing this trend, by increasing the alignment between conservation and sustainable development objectives. However, unless there is clarity on its evolution, definition and principles, and relationship with related approaches, it will not be possible to develop evidence-based standards and guidelines, or to implement, assess, improve and upscale NbS interventions globally. In order to address this gap, we present the definition and principles underpinning the NbS framework, recently adopted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and compare it to (1) the Ecosystem Approach that was the foundation for developing the NbS definitional framework, and (2) four specific ecosystem based approaches (Forest Landscape Restoration, Ecosystem-based Adaptation, Ecological Restoration and Protected Areas) that can be considered as falling under the NbS framework. Although we found substantial alignment between NbS principles and the principles of the other frameworks, three of the eight NbS principles stand out from other approaches: NbS can be implemented alone or in an integrated manner with other solutions ; NbS should be applied at a landscape scale; and, NbS are integral to the overall design of policies, measures and actions, to address societal challenges. Reversely, concepts such as adaptive management/governance, effectiveness , uncertainty, multi-stakeholder participation, and temporal scale are present in other frameworks but not captured at all or detailed enough in the NbS principles. This critical analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the NbS principles can inform the review and revision of principles supporting specific types of NbS (such as the approaches reviewed here), as well as serve as the foundation for the development of standards for the successful implementation of NbS.

As the linked impacts of climate change and degradation of ecosystems continue to be felt, particularly in developing countries, it is vital that methods for development that concurrently address adaptation to climate change, rapid urbanisation, and ecosystem degradation be explored. Further development of approaches which are participatory and embedded in an understanding of the importance of symbiotic relationships between socio-cultural and ecological systems is particularly important. Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) is one such method that is gaining recognition and momentum in areas where developing nations face converging pressures and drivers of change. EbA methodologies to date, are often ill-defined in an urban context and lack consideration of future social and ecological scenarios however. In response, this paper describes a methodology for developing urban EbA projects in a small island developing nation context. The methodology was developed and applied by a multidisciplinary team working under the auspices of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). The application of this methodology in Port Vila, Vanuatu indicated: i) the needs of local people must be at the forefront of project planning, requiring a participatory design process; ii) EbA solutions development must be multidisciplinary and iterative; iii) appropriate quantitative and qualitative data is vital as a basis for EbA project development, requiring adequate time for data gathering; iv) urban and coastal EbA projects must be developed holistically, recognising socio-ecological systems that extend beyond the urban area itself; v) the complex overlapping landscape of governmental and international aid financed projects must inform the development of new EbA projects; vi) potential monetary and non-monetary benefits, costs and risks across multiple factors must be carefully assessed in EbA project development; and vii) project implementation requires ongoing engagement and a readiness to adapt to on-the-ground realities.

Recreation-based ecosystem services can bring possibilities for protection and sustainable use of coastal ecosystems. This paper analyzes how recreational services influence coastal ecosystem management by studying the southwest part of the Sundarbans mangroves in Bangladesh. The paper argues that a single ecosystem service, recreation based on natural environments, is perceived differently by two different stakeholders; tourists and local resource users. Such variations emerge due to the dynamics of recreation seeking activities of the tourists and the livelihood-based activities of the local resource users. The paper takes a qualitative research framework with a narrative approach and analyzes these relationships through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The results reveal that perceptions of recreational services by local resource harvesters can give important and new opportunities for coastal biodiversity management and conservation. Management implications: This study has highlighted some key issues regarding future management of the Sun-darbans mangroves in Bangladesh. These management implications can be grounded through four interlinked recommendations, which are: � Increasing awareness on the local culture and the associated local ecological knowledge pool that ensures sustainable resource harvesting. � Consideration of non-economic valuation of recreation related to lifestyles of indigenous and local people for a fuller appreciation of socio-ecological relations in tourism-dominated areas in the Sundarbans. � Better the understanding of ecosystem service trade-offs which tourism brings to minimize the recreational service guided conservation at the expense of other ecosystem services. � Combine local people's recreational values and tourism to experience full gamut of recreational ecosystem services available from the landscape.

The objective of this review paper is to survey the state of the art on nature-based solutions (NBS) in the built environment, which can contribute to a circular economy (CE) and counter the negative impacts of urbanization This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits copying and redistribution for non-commercial purposes with no derivatives, provided the original work is properly cited (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

A preocupação pela busca de SBN para superar os desafios das águas não é recente na administração pública. Na verdade, a busca pelo controle dos recursos hídricos sempre foi uma preocupação humana, remonta à Antiguidade, ao surgimento das primeiras cidades e foi peça fundamental na criação do Estado. Segundo Max Weber (2004), no oriente próximo (inclusive no Egito) e na China a necessidade de regular os rios e de administrar a irrigação fez surgir as primeiras organizações públicas, inicialmente ocupadas apenas com as obras de gestão hídrica, e depois com a estocagem do excedente de produção, com o recolhimento de impostos, com o equipamento de exércitos, e com a expansão territorial. Ou seja, foi a organização da sociedade necessária para o domínio das águas que possibilitou o surgimento dos grandes impérios antigos. Sendo assim, é um tema relevante até os dias de hoje, principalmente devido à busca por cidades mais sustentáveis.

Several constituents discharged with urban storm water runoff have been sampled and analyzed in a residential area in Bucharest, Romania. A total of five rainfall-runoff events were monitored through grab sampling. The monitored parameters included conventional measurements, such as pH, conductivity, oil and grease, but also heavy metals, nutrients and pathogens. The analysis shows that urban storm water runoff washes of certain pollutants in concentrations above the numerical water quality standards. The attempt to determine the existence of a first flush phenomenon proved inconclusive.