Bibliography
Welcome to our interactive bibliography. Here you can explore publications relating to Nature-based Solutions and their potential to address societal challenges, including climate change adaptation & mitigation, disaster risk reduction, ecosystem health, food & water security, and human wellbeing & development. For papers and other outputs directly produced by the Nature-based Solutions Initiative please visit our outputs page.
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711 publications found
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Ecosystem-Based Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction: Costs and Benefits of Participatory Ecosystem Services Scenarios for Sumava National Park, Czech Republic
Springer International Publishing (2016). Book (chapter).
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-43633-3_5Abstract
The aim of the study was to analyse economic costs and benefits of stakeholder-defined adaptation scenarios for the Šumava National Park, the Czech Republic, and to evaluate their impact on the provision of ecosystem services, primarily focusing on ecosystem-based adaptation options which support disaster risk reduction in a broader region. The study utilised an array of approaches, including participatory scenario building, GIS modelling and economic evaluation. Based on a participatory input by local stakeholders, four adaptation scenarios were created, formulating various possibilities of future development in the area as well as potential vulnerabilities and adaptation needs. The scenarios subsequently served as the basis for biophysical modelling of the impacts of adaptation and disaster risk reduction measures on the provision of ecosystem services with the InVEST modelling suite, focusing on climate regulation, water quality and hydropower production. Finally, a cost-benefit analysis was conducted, quantifying management and investment costs of each adaptation scenario, and benefits originating from the provision of previously modelled regulating ecosystem services, together with a supplementary selection of provisioning services. This study serves as an example of combining stakeholder views, biophysical modelling and economic valuation in the cost-benefit analysis of ecosystem-based adaptation and disaster risk reduction, which provides the opportunity to find shared solutions for the adaptation of social-ecological systems to global change.
Ecosystem-based disaster risk reductionEcosystem-based adaptationClimate change adaptationDisaster risk reductionForestIntegrated risk and recovery monitoring of ecosystem restorations on contaminated sites
Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management (2016). Review.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ieam.1731/fullAbstract
Ecological restorations of contaminated sites balance the human and ecological risks of residual contamination with the benefits of ecological recovery and the return of lost ecological function and ecosystem services. Risk and recovery are interrelated dynamic conditions, changing as remediation and restoration activities progress through implementation into long-term management and ecosystem maturation. Monitoring restoration progress provides data critical to minimizing residual contaminant risk and uncertainty, while measuring ecological advancement toward recovery goals. Effective monitoring plans are designed concurrently with restoration plan development and implementation and are focused on assessing the effectiveness of activities performed in support of restoration goals for the site. Physical, chemical, and biotic measures characterize progress toward desired structural and functional ecosystem components of the goals. Structural metrics, linked to ecosystem functions and services, inform restoration practitioners of work plan modifications or more substantial adaptive management actions necessary to maintain desired recovery. Monitoring frequency, duration, and scale depend on specific attributes and goals of the restoration project. Often tied to restoration milestones, critical assessment of monitoring metrics ensures attainment of risk minimization and ecosystem recovery. Finally, interpretation and communication of monitoring findings inform and engage regulators, other stakeholders, the scientific community, and the public. Because restoration activities will likely cease before full ecosystem recovery, monitoring endpoints should demonstrate risk reduction and a successional trajectory toward the condition established in the restoration goals. A detailed assessment of the completed project’s achievements, as well as unrealized objectives, attained through project monitoring, will determine if contaminant risk has been minimized, if injured resources have recovered, and if ecosystem services have been returned. Such retrospective analysis will allow better planning for future restoration goals and strengthen the evidence base for quantifying injuries and damages at other sites in the future.
Ecological restorationEcosystem healthHuman well-being & developmentInstitutional adaptive capacities to promote Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) to flooding in England
International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management (2016). Review.
https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/IJCCSM-02-2015-0013Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the inherent adaptive capacities of multilevel flood management institutions in England that are necessary to espouse the concept of Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA). Design/methodology/approach – This paper is based on an extensive assessment of flood management literature including European and English flood management policies, strategies, regulations and reports. First, an assessment protocol was developed from systematic literature search and, second, multilevel flood management policies and organizations were evaluated. A qualitative scoring method was applied at the assessment stage. Findings – The protocol included 18 major assessment criteria under seven EbA principles. Application of the protocol showed that English national flood policies showed comparatively greater adaptive capacities than European-and local-level policies and local organizations. Specialized flood management policies such as Catchment Flood Management Policies at the local level and European Policies such as flood directives are among the lowest-scoring policy institutions. It was also identified that there is an emerging trend of stakeholder participation, catchment-based approach and knowledge-based adaptation planning at the national level which potentially can be the entry points of wider-scale EbA implementation. This paper recommends proactive roles of local executive organizations through improving institutional communication, consideration of catchment-scale planning with clear adaptation goals and valuing local knowledge base. Originality/value – The research is important to identify the institutional aspects of adaptive capacity that require attention for promoting alternative adaptation measures such as EbA.
Ecosystem-based adaptationClimate change adaptationDisaster risk reductionWetlandEffect of Ecosystem restoration and climate change on ecosystems: a case study in the Three-Rivers Headwater Region, China
Environmental Monitoring Assessment (2016). Original Research.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10661-016-5368-2Abstract
The Three-Rivers Headwater Region (TRHR) is the headwater of the Yangtze River Basin (YARB), Yellow River Basin (YRB), and Lancang River Basin (LRB); it is known as China’s ‘Water Tower’ owing to its important supply of freshwater. In order to assess ecosystem changes in the TRHR during 2000–2012, we systematically and comprehensively evaluated a combination of model simulation results and actual observational data. The results showed the following: (1) Ecosystem pattern was relatively stable during 2000–2010, with a slight decrease in farmland and desert areas, and a slight increase in grassland and wetland/water-body areas. (2) A warmer and wetter climate, and ecological engineering, caused the vegetation cover and productivity to significantly improve. (3) Precipitation was the main controlling factor for streamflow. A significant increase in precipitation during 2000–2012 resulted in an obvious increase in annual and seasonal streamflow. Glacier melting also contributed to the streamflow increase. (4) The total amount of soil conservation increased slightly from 2000 to 2012. The increase in precipitation caused rainfall erosivity to increase, which enhanced the intensity of soil erosion. The decrease in wind speed decreased wind erosion and the frequency of sandstorms. (5) The overall habitat quality in the TRHR was stable between 2000 and 2010, and the spatial pattern exhibited obvious heterogeneity. In some counties that included nature reserves, habitat quality was slightly higher in 2010 than in 2000, which reflected the effectiveness of the ecological restoration. Overall, the aforementioned ecosystem changes are the combined results of ecological restoration and climate change, and they are likely a local and temporary improvement, rather than a comprehensive and fundamental change. Therefore, more investments and efforts are needed to preserve natural ecosystems.
Ecological restorationClimate change adaptationFood and water securityMontaneWetlandTowards dynamic flow regime management for floodplain restoration in the Atchafalaya River Basin, Louisiana
Environmental Science and Policy (2016). Methodological Article. Original Research.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1462901116303550Abstract
This study proposes a novel approach for establishing adaptive environmental-flow prescriptions for rivers, channels, and floodways with substantial flow augmentation and a limited decision space using the highly altered Atchafalaya River Basin (ARB) in Louisiana as an example. Development of the ARB into the primary floodway of the Mississippi River and Tributaries Project has contributed to hydrologic changes basin-wide that have altered the river-floodplain interface threatening important ecosystems, notably the expansive baldcypress-water tupelo swamp forests. Current restoration efforts only address the spatial distribution of water in local areas of the basin; however, the timing, frequency, magnitude, and duration of ecologically-important high and low flows are determined at the basin-wide scale by the daily implementation of a federal flow mandate that limits available water management options. We used current hydrologic conditions and established flow-ecology relationships from the literature to develop an environmental flow prescription for the ARB that provides basin-wide flow targets to complement ongoing restoration efforts. Hydrologic analysis of current flows and the flow-ecology requirements for these wetland forests revealed an overlap in the range of flow variability under the current water management model, suggesting environmental flows can be complementary with the desired hydraulic and geomorphic characteristics of the floodway. The result is a first step towards an adaptive flow regime that strives to balance important flow-ecology relationships within a decision space limited by a federal flow mandate. We found high potential for success in managing water for nature while accommodating other management needs for the river.
Ecosystem-based managementEcosystem healthForestWetlandSmallholder farmers’ perceptions of climate change and the roles of trees and agroforestry in climate risk adaptation: evidence from Bohol, Philippines
Agroforestry Systems (2016). Original Research.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10457-015-9874-1Abstract
Recent studies have highlighted the importance of trees and agroforestry in climate change adaptation and mitigation. This paper analyzes how farmers, members of their households, and community leaders in the Wahig–Inabanga watershed, Bohol province in the Philippines perceive of climate change, and define and value the roles of trees in coping with climate risks. Focus group discussions revealed that farmers and community leaders had observed changes in rainfall and temperature over the years. They also had positive perceptions of tree roles in coping with climate change, with most timber tree species valued for regulating functions, while non-timber trees were valued as sources of food and income. Statistical analysis of the household survey results was done through linear probability models for both determinants of farmers’ perceived changes in climate, and perceived importance of tree roles in coping with climate risks. Perceiving of changes in rainfall was more likely among farmers who had access to electricity, had access to water for irrigation, and derived climate information from government agencies and mass media, and less likely among farmers who were members of farmers’ organizations. On the other hand, perceiving of an increase in temperature was more likely among famers who were members of women’s organizations and had more off/non-farm sources of income, and less likely among those who derived climate information from government agencies. Meanwhile, marginal effects of the regression on perceived importance of trees in coping with climate change revealed positively significant relationships with the following predictor variables: access to electricity, number of off/non-farm sources of income, having trees planted by household members, observed increase in temperature and decline in yield, and sourcing climate information from government agencies. In contrast, a negatively significant relationship was observed between recognition of the importance of tree roles, and level of education, and deriving income from tree products. In promoting tree-based adaptation, we recommend improving access to necessary inputs and resources, exploring the potentials of farmer-to-farmer extension, using participatory approaches to generate farmer-led solutions based on their experiences of climate change, and initiating government-led extension to farmers backed by non-government partners.
Ecosystem-based adaptationNature-based agricultural systemsClimate change adaptationClimate change mitigationArtificial Landscapes - TerrestrialIntegrated valuation of a nature-based solution for water pollution control. Highlighting hidden benefits
Ecosystem Services (2016). Original Research.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212041616303370Abstract
In this study we assess multiple benefits (environmental, social and economic) provided by a multi-purpose green infrastructure (a series of constructed wetlands surrounded by a park) in a peri-urban area, and compare it with the alternative grey infrastructure and with the previous situation (a poplar plantation). We apply a multi-criteria analysis as a basis for integrated valuation. We address specific policy needs (strategic objectives) for the local territorial planning in the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive. The analysis is used retrospectively (ex post evaluation) but our results could also be used prospectively to appraise new proposals of constructed wetlands under similar circumstances. The results reflect that the green infrastructure performs equal or even better than the grey infrastructure alternative for water purification and flood protection, it has a similar cost, and it provides additional benefits (like wildlife support and recreation). The most preferred alternative is the green infrastructure, followed by the grey infrastructure and the poplar plantation. This study demonstrates (a) the effectiveness of investments on nature-based solutions, (b) the potential of green infrastructures for delivering a broad range of ecosystem services, and (c) the utility of integrating different value systems and stakeholders’ viewpoints to support environmental decision-making.
Infrastructure-related approachesDisaster risk reductionFood and water securityHuman well-being & developmentWetlandUnderstanding stakeholder preferences for flood adaptation alternatives with natural capital implications
Ecology and Society (2016). Original Research.
https://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol21/iss3/art32/Abstract
Inland flood risks are defined by a range of environmental and social factors, including land use and floodplain management. Shifting patterns of storm intensity and precipitation, attributed to climate change, are exacerbating flood risk in regions across North America. Strategies for adapting to growing flood risks and climate change must account for a community’s specific vulnerabilities, and its local economic, environmental, and social conditions. Through a stakeholder-engaged methodology, we designed an interactive decision exercise to enable stakeholders to evaluate alternatives for addressing specific community flood vulnerabilities. We used a multicriteria framework to understand what drives stakeholder preferences for flood mitigation and adaptation alternatives, including ecosystem-based projects. Results indicated strong preferences for some ecosystem-based projects that utilize natural capital, generated a useful discussion on the role of individual values in driving decisions and a critique of local environmental and hazard planning procedure, and uncovered support for a river management alternative that had previously been considered socially infeasible. We conclude that a multicriteria decision framework may help ensure that the multiple benefit qualities of natural capital projects are considered by decision makers. Application of a utility function can demonstrate the role of individual decision-maker values in decision outcomes and help illustrate why one alternative may be a better choice than another. Although designing an efficient and accurate multicriteria exercise is quite challenging and often data intensive, we imagine that this method is applicable elsewhere. It may be especially suitable to group decisions that involve varying levels of expertise and competing values, as is often the case in planning for the ecological and human impacts of climate change.
Ecosystem-based disaster risk reductionClimate change adaptationDisaster risk reductionWetlandIntact ecosystems provide best defence against climate change
Nature Climate Change (2016). Communication.
https://www.nature.com/articles/nclimate2918Abstract
Climate change is affecting people and nature across every continent and ocean. Changes in rainfall, snow and ice melt are impacting water resources in terms of quality and quantity. Drought, crop failure and poor yield, and human heat-related stress and mortality are increasing in frequency. Sea-level rise is displacing coastal and island communities through storm surges and saltwater incursion, and deglaciation and range shifts of species on land and sea are leading to loss of ecosystems and creation of new and different ecological communities. In response, many local communities around the world are rapidly adjusting their livelihood practices to cope with climate change, sometimes with catastrophic implications for nature. Humans and nature form a coupled system and understanding the feedback between the way we as humans adapt to climate change under different policy agendas and its impact on nature is crucial to successful adaptation. Environmental outcomes and climate outcomes are inextricably linked. It is time to set a policy agenda that actively rewards those countries, industries and entrepreneurs who develop ecosystem-sensitive adaptation strategies.
Ecosystem-based adaptationClimate change adaptationNature-based solutions: lessons from around the world
Maritime Engineering Journal (2016). Review.
https://doi.org/10.1680/jmaen.15.00027Abstract
This paper considers an emerging group of coastal management approaches which offer the potential to reduce coastal flood and erosion risks whilst also providing nature conservation, aesthetic and amenity benefits. These solutions mimic the characteristics of natural features, but are enhanced or created by man to provide specific services such as wave energy dissipation and erosion reduction. Such approaches can include beaches, dunes, saltmarshes, mangroves, sea grasses, coral and oyster reefs. The paper describes a number of innovative projects and the lessons learned in their development and implementation. These lessons include the planning, design and construction of projects, their development following implementation, the engagement of local communities and the cost effectiveness of solutions.
Ecosystem-based disaster risk reductionEcological engineeringInfrastructure-related approachesDisaster risk reductionCoastlineMarineWetlandNature Based Solutions
In: Potschin, M. and K. Jax (eds): OpenNESS Ecosystem Services Reference Book. EC FP7 Grant Agreement no. 308428. (2016). Book (chapter).
http://www.openness-project.eu/sites/default/files/SP_Nature-based-solutions.pdfAbstract
The idea of ‘nature-based solutions’ (NBS) is now being used to reframe policy debates on biodiversity conservation, climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies, and the sustainable use of natural resources, among other issues. While interesting and potentially useful for those debates, it is a concept that still needs to be clearly defined; its use is not confined to discussions about ecosystem services and natural capital. For example, it is also used to describe such things as soft engineering approaches designed to enhance resilience and reduce risk to people in large settlements (e.g. Marton-Lefevre, 2012; van Wessenbeeck, 2014), and to work in the field of biomimicry and industrial design2 (e.g. Neves and Francke, 2012) – learning from nature, rather than finding strategies based on nature that would contribute to its conservation. However, by emphasising the utilitarian aspect of natural capital and ecosystem services, the idea of ‘nature-based solutions’ is clearly eye-catching and relevant to current debates about the links between people and nature. It is therefore wise to ask what new insights it brings. Is it intended to re-package the demand for sustainable development and nature conservation in a way that concepts of biodiversity and ecosystem services do not? Does it represent an approach to policy and management distinctly different from those already being applied? It is not altogether clear that it does. For example, the idea of NBS can be seen to encompass existing concepts such as ‘nature-based interventions’, ‘ecosystem-based solutions’, and particularly ‘ecosystem-based adaptation’ (see for example Rizvi et al, 2015; Andrade et al., 2011). A report from the Horizon 2020 Expert Group on NBS suggests that the concept “builds on and supports other closely related concepts, such as the ecosystem approach, ecosystem services, ecosystem-based adaptation/mitigation, and green and blue infrastructure” (EC, 2015). From another perspective, however, the use of the term ‘NBS’ might prompt positive changes in how some of these existing concepts are framed. It could refocus attention on sustainable development and encouraging consideration of biodiversity and ecosystems within solutions to wider societal challenges including climate change adaptation, food security, water crises etc.
Nature-based solutions in generalClimate change adaptationClimate change mitigationDisaster risk reductionEcosystem healthFood and water securityHuman well-being & developmentEcosystem-based approaches to adaptation: evidence from two sites in Bangladesh
Climate and Development (2016). Original Research.
https://doi.org/10.1080/17565529.2016.1167663Abstract
Ecosystem-based approaches to adaptation (EbA) involve the use of biodiversity and ecosystem services to help people adapt to the adverse effects of climate change. This research looks at two components of effective EbA: ecosystem resilience and the maintenance of ecosystem services. It assesses EbA effectiveness in terms of how such approaches support community adaptive capacity and resilience at two sites in Bangladesh: Chanda Beel wetland and Balukhali Village in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Research findings suggest that more attention should be paid to EbA as an important climate-change response. Results show that the many diverse natural resources available and utilized at each site have increased the number of different subsistence and livelihood options available in the community and hence local adaptive capacity, especially for poorer households. Major structural shifts in ecosystem functioning observed at each site to date can be attributed primarily to non-climate-change-related factors, although climate-change-related factors increasingly threaten to dramatically alter ecosystems, especially in Chanda Beel. Such shifts have important consequences for adaptive capacity and have led to a number of trade-offs. The lack of effective institutions, good governance and enabling policy at both sites has limited potential resilience gains from sound ecosystem management.
Ecosystem-based adaptationClimate change adaptationFood and water securityHuman well-being & developmentArtificial Landscapes – AquaticArtificial Landscapes - TerrestrialWetlandEcosystem- and community-based adaptation: learning from community-based natural resource management
Climate and Development (2016). Perspective.
https://rsa.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17565529.2015.1034233#.WqK23pPwZE4Abstract
Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) and its sister community-based adaptation (CBA) have gained traction over recent years, and policy-makers and planners are increasingly promoting ‘integrated’ EbA and CBA approaches. Improved learning from older natural resource management disciplines such as community-based natural resource management (CBNRM), however, could help inform EbA and CBA practice and policy-making. This viewpoint describes key lessons from CBNRM that EbA and CBA should address as they mature, including the need for EbA and CBA to ensure: communities are central to planning; the institutional, governance and policy context of initiatives is addressed; and, incentives and the need for better evidence of effectiveness is considered. The viewpoint argues that opportunities for scaling up EbA and CBA through mainstreaming and also replication and diversification to other sectors need exploring to reach the millions of poor people facing a climate change-constrained future. This is particularly important for the world’s poorest people who are worst hit by climate change and also disproportionately reliant on ecosystems and their services.
Community-based adaptationEcosystem-based adaptationNatural resource managementClimate change adaptationHuman well-being & developmentEcosystem-Based Disaster Risk Reduction and Adaptation in Practice
Springer International Publishing (2016). Book (chapter).
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-3-319-43633-3Abstract
This book is a compilation of recent developments in the field of ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction and climate change adaption (Eco-DRR/CCA) globally. It provides further evidence that ecosystem-based approaches make economic sense, and showcases how research has progressively filled knowledge gaps about translating this concept into practice. It presents a number of methods, and tools that illustrate how Eco-DRR/CCA has been applied for various ecosystems and hazard contexts around the world. It also discusses how innovative institutional arrangements and policies are shaping the field of Eco-DRR/CCA. The book is of relevance to scientists, practitioners, policy-makers and students in the field of ecosystem management for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.
Ecosystem-based disaster risk reductionEcosystem-based adaptationClimate change adaptationDisaster risk reductionEcosystem-Based Tsunami Disaster Risk Reduction in Indonesian Coastal Areas
Springer International Publishing (2016). Book (chapter).
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-28528-3_3Abstract
A healthy natural coastal ecosystem can function as one of the components in reducing potential risk of coastal disasters. The impacts of tsunamis, storm surges and coastal erosions can be reduced at a certain limit by the existence of coastal forest and dunes. In Indonesia, tsunami occurs once twice a year in average. It means, tsunami hit quiet frequently even though the return period in a specific location mostly is several tens to hundred years. To reduce potential impacts of tsunamis in coastal area, construction and rehabilitation of coastal forest is one of the main efforts. The existence of a healthy coastal forest not only provides a suitable protection for high frequency but relatively minor to medium scale tsunamis, but also promotes economic activity based on eco-tourism that will ensure the sustainability of the coastal forest maintenance in the later phase. This paper aims to describe milestones of tsunami mitigation by using greenbelt in Indonesia. Conception, tsunami hazards assessment, challenges and lessons learnt in applying tsunami mitigation by using greenbelt are described so the initiative can be replicated in other tsunami prone areas.
Ecosystem-based disaster risk reductionDisaster risk reductionCoastlineEcosystem management can mitigate vegetation shifts induced by climate change in West Africa
Ecological Modelling (2016). Original Research.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2016.03.022Abstract
The welfare of people in the tropics and sub-tropics strongly depends on goods and services that savanna ecosystems supply, such as food and livestock production, fuel wood, and climate regulation. Flows of these services are strongly influenced by climate, land use and their interactions. Savannas cover c. 20% of the Earth’s land surface and changes in the structure and dynamics of savanna vegetation may strongly influence local people’s living conditions, as well as the climate system and global biogeochemical cycles. In this study, we use a dynamic vegetation model, the aDGVM, to explore interactive effects of climate and land use on the vegetation structure and distribution of West African savannas under current and anticipated future environmental conditions. We parameterized the model for West African savannas and extended it by including sub-models to simulate fire management, grazing, and wood cutting. The model projects that under future climate without human land use impacts, large savanna areas would shift toward more wood dominated vegetation due to CO2 fertilization effects, increased water use efficiency and decreased fire activity. However, land use activities could maintain desired vegetation states that ensure fluxes of important ecosystem services, even under anticipated future conditions. Ecosystem management can mitigate climate change impacts on vegetation and delay or avoid undesired vegetation shifts. The results highlight the effects of land use on the future distribution and dynamics of savannas. The identification of management strategies is essential to maintain important ecosystem services under future conditions in savannas worldwide
Ecosystem-based adaptationEcosystem-based managementClimate change adaptationFood and water securityHuman well-being & developmentSavanna