Nature-based Solutions

Earth faces challenges from disturbances, climate change, water contamination, pollution and biodiversity loss. The term ‘nature-based solutions’ refers to the use of natural resources (natural capital) and natural processes to tackle environmental challenges in sustainable ways such as concentrating suburban development in areas that are unlikely to experience fire or flooding reduces risks to the build environment. Examples of nature based solutions are:

Protection, restoring or modifying ecological systems to increase the quantity, quality, and sustainability of particular services they provide.

• strategic planning to reducing the threat of climate change
• Enhancement of water availability; retention of forests with the resulting water retention may provide as much as 2.2 times the volume of water that would be otherwise be available through, soil moisture retention, groundwater recharge,.
• Improvement of water quality; It may be less expensive to preserve the capacity of a watershed to purify water than to build and run a filtration plant. An example is New York city, where the quality of drinking water had fallen below standards. Use of natural abiotic processes such of soil absorption and filtration of chemicals, combined with biotic recycling via root systems and soil microorganisms to treat wastewater, and riparian buffer strips, restored water quality in the polluted Catskill Watershed. Natural wetlands were restored. Additional wetlands were constructed. The cost was $1–1.5 billion for construction rather than $6–8 billion together with the additional annual cost of $300 million.

Solution Examples

Development of multi-functional ecosystems and landscapes:

• innovative planning of agricultural landscapes to increase their multi-functionality; carbon sinks, biodiversity, connectivity, and resilience, enhance tree species and genetic diversity and increase forest resilience
• strategically planned and managed forests and wetlands, working landscapes, and other open spaces that conserve or enhances ecosystem values and functions and provide associated benefits to human populations

Preservation of Ecological Capital – location of facilities:

• preserving a minimum amount of biodiversity leaving 30% of landscapes untouched
• selection and preservation of hotspots that are valuable because of rich resources
• maintenance of interconnected networks of green spaces that conserve natural systems and provide assorted benefits
• protecting natural resources such as floodplains and estuaries, development of deep sea-port rather than utilizing river estuaries as ports (development of Prince Rupert as a port rather than further degrading the Fraser River Estuary)

Restoration:

• restoration of wild bee populations to provide pollination services in place of commercial bee pollination services by maintaining natural habitat
• restoration and protection of mangroves along coastlines to moderate the impact of waves and wind, to control coastal erosion resulting from sea level rise, sequester CO2, provide nursery zones, sustaining fisheries

Urban Planning:

• green roofs or walls to moderate the impact of high temperatures, capture storm water, abate pollution, and act as carbon sinks, while simultaneously enhancing biodiversity
• restrictions on development of bogs and wetlands

Establishment of a community of practice to explore and apply nature-based solutions:

• development of biosphere reserves
• providing subsidies and information to farmers to improve agricultural practices such as pasture management (reducing the use of nitrates and pesticides) to maintain the quality of ground water (see Biodiversity Guide for Farmers and Ranchers)
• using appropriate accounting to determine the cost effectiveness of converting farmland to woodland by identifying and establishing the value of benefits such as soil stabilization, wind deflection, recreation, food production, air purification, carbon storage, wildlife habitat, fuel production, cooling, flood prevention (see Implementing the 30% Target)

Goals

Nature-based solutions are explored and utilized because:

• they may be cost effective
• they may decrease the depletion of non-renewable resources
• they may increase productivity of natural processes and renewable resources
• they may enhance the resilience of ecosystems
• they may contribute to sustainability
• they may preserve management of biodiversity

Benefits

Nature-based solutions contribute to:

• thriving communities
  • healthy soil
  • increased crop yields
  • employment opportunities
  • cooler temperatures in cities
  • safer coastlines
  • decreased fire risk
• clean air and water
  • reduced air pollution
  • reduced dust
  • safe drinking water
  • water filtration
  • efficient irrigation
• improved biodiversity
  • more pollinators
  • habitats for endangered species
  • thriving fisheries
  • protection for birds
  • wildlife corridors