What Are Nature-Based Solutions?

Authors: Berfin Tandoǧan &  Marta Galindo Díaz

Caption: Experiment demonstrating how mangrove vegetation reduces the effect of hurricanes or storm surges on shores. Source: Deltares (2016).

 

According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Nature-Based Solutions (NBSs) can be defined as:

“ actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural and modified ecosystems that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously benefiting people and nature.”

 

WHY NBSs ARE IMPORTANT?

 

NBSs are designed to address challenges such as climate change, disaster risk reduction, food security, water security, biodiversity loss, or human health. In the figure below some facts about the current situation of the EU regarding environmental and unsustainable practices are given. It becomes evident the necessity to solve the former challenges. NBSs aimed to solve environmental and social problems as well as to secure nature-human relationships.

 

Caption: Facts regarding environmental problems that affect the EU’s society and economy. Source: Modified from: European Commission (2022).

 

The SDGs are a series of goals developed by the UN to lead the world to sustainability. NBSs are proposed as tools to accomplish the 17 SGS. It is believed that NBSs can decrease the different trade-offs between goals, such as “green-grabbing”, while improving the synergies between goals, for example, through the installation of urban gardens.

Caption: UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Source: UN (n.d.)

 

 

 

 

EXAMPLES OF NBSs

Examples of NBSs:

 

Reforestation, restoration, or conservation of forests located in the upper-catchment of rivers to:	Planting trees and increasing green areas in cities to:
a.              Protect downstream areas of flooding, b.              Enhance biodiversity                 c.              Contribute to carbon sequestration	a.              Decrease temperature b.              Contribute to carbon sequestration c.              Decrease air pollution d.              Provide recreational space e.              Increase health and well-being

 

LIFE-PACT project (Leuven)

The European LIFE PACT project stands for People-driven: Adapting Cities for Tomorrow, and it is based on the ability of cities to deploy and improve nature-based solutions (NBSs). The main objective of the project is to increase urban resilience and improve the health and well-being of citizens. The participating cities for this project are the cities of Leuven, Madrid, and Krakow.

Caption: Participating cities of Life-Pact Project. Source: Interview

PACT’s approach will be first implemented in Leuven with 2 pilot locations and further replicated across Leuven, Madrid, and Kraków. This project addresses three main challenges in pilot locations. The first of these challenges is the lack of buy-in from citizens. NBSs can conflict with other needs, such as the (perceived) need for space for cars (e.g. parking spaces). The second addressed challenge is the lack of an integrated, multi-stakeholder approach. Beyond the city administration, there is a need for a coordinated, multi-stakeholder approach. For instance, 80% of Leuven’s sealed/impermeable surfaces are on private property; to unlock the potential for NBSs, there is a need to activate non-city stakeholders. Lastly, the third challenge is the lack of data on the (private) urban green stock. Many cities don’t have a clear picture of the amount or quality of their green spaces. This is particularly due to data scarcity in private green spaces. Without such data, it is difficult to design or plan effective interventions.

Caption: Pilot locations and replications sites.  Source: Interview 

Some of LIFE-PACT activities

 

SPAANSE KROON NEIGHBORHOOD

 

Caption: Main characteristics of the Spaanse Kroon neighborhood.  

OUTCOMES OF THE PROJECT
1. Participatory approach

Participatory approaches are crucial to designing NBSs. Research has proved that the involvement of residents in NBS projects leads to increases in fairness and sustainability in the governance process.

 

In Spaanse Kroon multiple meetings were organized where citizens - of all ages - had a place to know each other, understand the opportunities and sensitivities of greening the areas, aware people, and for ideas. Before the meetings took place, temporary green areas were implemented, such as the ‘talking bench’ (caption below).

 

 

Caption:  Meeting in Spaanse Kroon. Source: Interview

 

2. Streets Design

Different plans were proposed to citizens: small, medium, and large. In the small scenario, green areas were included but no further modification was proposed. On the other hand, the medium and large scenarios involved the removal of sidewalks and larger planting areas. The information gathered in the different workshops was contradictory. More environmentally aware people assisted the first workshops who liked the large design. Later, there was a disagreement among the residents as some of them did not understand why the project had to take place in their streets. After several conversations, the large scenario was chosen.

 

Caption: Old Situation (2022) of Spaanse Kroon. Source: Interview
Caption: Three different amounts of greening were proposed (A: Small, B: Medium, C: Large). Source: Interview

 

PRIVATE DOMAIN

The lack of public green spaces obliges the inclusion of private gardens in the green governance of the city. To do so, it is very important to inform residents of the importance of NBSs as well as to provide strategies and means to increase private green. For this project to succeed, many different stakeholders must take collective action: city hall, citizens, and partners (university, contractors, garden rangers, …).

 

The influence of the LIFE-PACT project on Leuven’s citizens consists in supporting and encouraging residents to green their gardens. As part of this project, the municipality of Leuven supports its residents with different implementations. These supports include personal garden advice (garden rangers), joint purchasing of planting material, organizing collective planting days, cooperation with ecological gardening contractors, and financial support through grants.

 

 Caption: Different activities taken by the LIFE-PACT in Leuven. Source: Interview

 

In addition to these supports, the municipality aims to encourage its residents through promotional communication. To do so, the municipality focuses on organizing neighborhood challenges and rewards. With a form of gamification, it stimulates residents to take action and encourage each other. As a result of the residents’ actions and implementations, they are rewarded by the municipality.

Caption:  Reward system. Source: Interview

 

Major takeaways

 

As we see from this specific project (LIFE-PACT) Nature-Based Solutions (NBSs) are actions that protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural and modified ecosystems to address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, benefiting both people and nature. NBSs are essential to tackle environmental challenges such as climate change, disaster risk reduction, food security, water security, biodiversity loss, and human health. The SDGs developed by the UN aim to make the world sustainable, and NBSs are considered tools to accomplish such goals.

The LIFE-PACT project aims to increase urban resilience, improve the health and well-being of citizens, and address challenges related to the lack of citizen buy-in, lack of an integrated, multi-stakeholder approach, and data scarcity of private green spaces. The project's participatory approach, street design, and private domain strategies have led to positive outcomes, such as increased fairness and sustainability in the governance process, increased private green areas, and the stimulation of residents to take action and encourage each other through promotional communication and gamification. Overall, NBSs and projects such as LIFE-PACT are crucial to creating a sustainable world for both people and nature.

 

 

REFERENCES

City of Leuven. (n.d.). Klimaatadaptieve acties PACT. Leuven.be. Retrieved from https://www.leuven.be/klimaatadaptieve-acties-pact

 

City of Leuven. (n.d.). LIFE Project PACT. Leuven.be. Retrieved from https://leuven.be/en/life-project-pact/

 

Deltares [Shafiq Zikri]. (2016, Nov 23). How Mangrove Forests Protect The Coast [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoMrLYJOdA4

 

European Commission. (2022). Nature-Based Solutions: Harnessing the Power of Nature to Address Societal Challenges. Retrieved from https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2022-08/ec_rtd_nature-based-solutions.pdf

 

Kiss, B., Sekulova, F., Hörschelmann, K., Salk, C. F., Takahashi, W., & Wamsler, C. (2022). Citizen participation in the governance of nature‐based solutions. Environmental Policy and Governance, 32(3), 247-272.

 

Seddon, N., Chausson, A., Berry, P., Girardin, C. A., Smith, A., & Turner, B. (2020). Understanding the value and limits of nature-based solutions to climate change and other global challenges. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 375(1794), 20190120.

 

UN Brussels. (n.d.). The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UN Brussels. Retrieved from https://www.unbrussels.org/the-sustainable-development-goals-sdgs/