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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Cost-effectiveness of dryland forest restoration evaluated by spatial analysis of ecosystem services
PNAS (2010). Original Research.
http://www.pnas.org/content/107/50/21925.shortAbstract
Although Ecosystem restoration is widely used to combat environmental degradation, very few studies have evaluated the cost-effectiveness of this approach. We examine the potential impact of forest restoration on the value of multiple ecosystem services across four dryland areas in Latin America, by estimating the net value of ecosystem service benefits under different reforestation scenarios. The values of selected ecosystem services were mapped under each scenario, supported by the use of a spatially explicit model of forest dynamics. We explored the economic potential of a change in land use from livestock grazing to restored native forest using different discount rates and performed a cost–benefit analysis of three restoration scenarios. Results show that passive restoration is cost-effective for all study areas on the basis of the services analyzed, whereas the benefits from active restoration are generally outweighed by the relatively high costs involved. These findings were found to be relatively insensitive to discount rate but were sensitive to the market value of carbon. Substantial variation in values was recorded between study areas, demonstrating that ecosystem service values are strongly context specific. However, spatial analysis enabled localized areas of net benefits to be identified, indicating the value of this approach for identifying the relative costs and benefits of restoration interventions across a landscape.
Ecological restorationClimate change mitigationEcosystem healthFood and water securityHuman well-being & developmentForestA Global Conservation System for Climate-Change Adaptation
Conservation Biology (2010). Perspective.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01405.x/abstractAbstract
Climate change has created the need for a new strategic framework for conservation. This frame- work needs to include new protected areas that account for species range shifts and management that addresses large-scale change across international borders. Actions within the framework must be effective in international waters and across political frontiers and have the ability to accommodate large income and ability-to-pay discrepancies between countries. A global protected-area system responds to these needs. A fully implemented global system of protected areas will help in the transition to a new conservation paradigm robust to climate change and will ensure the integrity of the climate services provided by carbon sequestration from the world’s natural habitats. The internationally coordinated response to climate change afforded by such a system could have significant cost savings relative to a system of climate adaptation that unfolds solely at a country level. Implementation of a global system is needed very soon because the effects of climate change on species and ecosystems are already well underway.
Area-based approachesClimate change adaptationClimate change mitigationEcosystem healthEffects of climate change on the societal benefits of UK upland peat ecosystems: applying the ecosystem approach
Climate Research (2010). Original Research.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/24861590Abstract
For centuries, UK peatlands have been subject to competing sectoral land use and resource demands, generally resulting in their progressive degradation. There is now considerable interest in improving their management, especially in the uplands, partly because of their extreme sensitivity to environmental change and partly because of increasing recognition of the range of ecosystem services they provide. A change in emphasis in the research agenda has been detected, shifting from what peat ecosystems are to what they do. This is linked to a paradigm shift in the attitude of governments and, more generally, in civil society, to account for the wider values of ecosystem functioning. The ecosystem approach is used here as a framework to present more integrated thinking about future peatland management. Key questions, identified for societal consideration and debate, are matched to the 12 principles of the ecosystem approach sensu the Convention on Biological Diversity. A case is made for a more functional approach to defining management objectives based on delivery of ecosystem services. A compatibility matrix is used to indicate the possibilities of simultaneous delivery of services and likely incompatibilities among services. A critique is presented of features of UK upland peat ecosystems which characterise their ecological ‘status’ and societal context in relation to climate-change issues. The relative importance of climate as opposed to human activities in both peat formation and subsequent development remains a tantalising question, the resolution of which is highly relevant to the maintenance of existing peat and possibilities for ecosystem restoration, given changes in the climate envelope. Setting policy priorities requires a strong interdisciplinary evidence base. It also demands greater understanding of the effects of both direct and indirect human activities, as well as climate change, on the ability of upland peat ecosystems to deliver societal benefits, which previously may have been undetected, undervalued or simply taken for granted.
Ecosystem-based managementClimate change adaptationClimate change mitigationWetlandTerrestrial ecosystem management for climate change mitigation
Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability (2010). Perspective.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877343510000382Abstract
Decreasing the human impact on the atmosphere will necessitate active management of terrestrial carbon pools and greenhouse gas fluxes. Biospheric greenhouse gas emission mitigation measures such as increasing forest area and increasing forest biomass density, build-up of soil carbon and avoided emissions from deforestation offer cost-efficient solutions while in the long run they are limited by land availability, saturation, and concerns about their permanence. Biomass can also be used to produce low greenhouse gas intensive materials, feedstock for energy production and if combined with carbon capture and sequestration it can offer permanent negative emissions. Although most terrestrial management options appear as competitive mitigation measures from an economic point of view, issues of governance remain most contentious as they induce competition for land and other ecosystem services.
Ecosystem-based mitigationClimate change mitigationIdentifying potential synergies and trade-offs for meeting food security and climate change objectives in sub-Saharan Africa
PNAS (2010). Original Research.
http://www.pnas.org/content/107/46/19661.shortAbstract
Potential interactions between food production and climate mitigation are explored for two situations in sub-Saharan Africa, where deforestation and land degradation overlap with hunger and poverty. Three agriculture intensification scenarios for supplying nitrogen to increase crop production (mineral fertilizer, herbaceous legume cover crops—green manures—and agroforestry—legume improved tree fallows) are compared to baseline food production, land requirements to meet basic caloric requirements, and greenhouse gas emissions. At low population densities and high land availability, food security and climate mitigation goals are met with all intensification scenarios, resulting in surplus crop area for reforestation. In contrast, for high population density and small farm sizes, attaining food security and reducing greenhouse gas emissions require mineral fertilizers to make land available for reforestation; green manure or improved tree fallows do not provide sufficient increases in yields to permit reforestation. Tree fallows sequester significant carbon on cropland, but green manures result in net carbon dioxide equivalent emissions because of nitrogen additions. Although these results are encouraging, agricultural intensification in sub-Saharan Africa with mineral fertilizers, green manures, or improved tree fallows will remain low without policies that address access, costs, and lack of incentives. Carbon financing for small-holder agriculture could increase the likelihood of success of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries programs and climate change mitigation but also promote food security in the region.
Ecosystem-based mitigationNature-based agricultural systemsClimate change mitigationFood and water securityArtificial Landscapes - TerrestrialForestPrescribed Fire As a Means of Reducing Forest Carbon Emissions in the Western United States
Environmental Science and Technology (2010). Original Research.
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es902455eAbstract
Carbon sequestration by forested ecosystems offers a potential climate change mitigation benefit. However, wildfire has the potential to reverse this benefit. In the western United States, climate change and land management practices have led to increases in wildfire intensity and size. One potential means of reducing carbon emissions from wildfire is the use of prescribed burning, which consumes less biomass and therefore releases less carbon to the atmosphere. This study uses a regional fire emissions model to estimate the potential reduction in fire emissions when prescribed burning is applied in dry, temperate forested systems of the western U.S. Daily carbon dioxide (CO2) fire emissions for 2001-2008 were calculated for the western U.S. for two cases: a default wildfire case and one in which prescribed burning was applied. Wide-scale prescribed fire application can reduce CO2 fire emissions for the western U.S. by 18-25% in the western U.S., and by as much as 60% in specific forest systems. Although this work does not address important considerations such as the feasibility of implementing wide-scale prescribed fire management or the cumulative emissions from repeated prescribed burning, it does provide constraints on potential carbon emission reductions when prescribed burning is used.
Ecosystem-based mitigationClimate change mitigationForestEvaluating the suitability of management strategies of pure Norway spruce forests in the Black Forest area of Southwest Germany for adaptation to or mitigation of climate change
Environmental Management (2010). Original Research.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00267-009-9409-2Abstract
The study deals with the problem of evaluating management strategies for pure stands of Norway spruce (Picea abies Karst) to balance adaptation to and mitigation of climate change, taking into account multiple objectives of a forest owner. A simulation and optimization approach was used to evaluate the management of a 1000 ha model Age-Class forest, representing the age-class distribution of an area of 66,000 ha of pure Norway spruce forests in the Black Forest region of Southwest Germany. Eight silvicultural scenarios comprising five forest conversion schemes which were interpreted as “adaptation” strategies which aims at increasing the proportion of Beech, that is expected to better cope with climate change than the existing Norway spruce, and three conventional strategies including a “Do-nothing” alternative classified as “mitigation”, trying to keep rather higher levels of growing stock of spruce, were simulated using the empirical growth simulator BWINPro-S. A linear programming approach was adapted to simultaneously maximize the net present values of carbon sequestration and timber production subject to the two constraints of wood even flow and partial protection of the oldest (nature protection). The optimized plan, with the global utility of 11,687 €/ha in forty years, allocated a combination of silvicultural scenarios to the entire forest area. Overall, strategies classified as “mitigation” were favored, while strategies falling into the “adaptation”-category were limited to the youngest age-classes in the optimal solution. Carbon sequestration of the “Do-nothing” alternative was between 1.72 and 1.85 million tons higher than the other alternatives for the entire forest area while the differences between the adaptation and mitigation approaches were approximately 133,000 tons. Sensitivity analysis showed that a carbon price of 21 €/t is the threshold at which carbon sequestration is promoted, while an interest rate of above 2% would decrease the amount of carbon.
Ecosystem-based adaptationEcosystem-based mitigationClimate change adaptationClimate change mitigationForestClimate change implications for river restoration in global biodiversity hotspots
Restoration Ecology (2010). Original Research.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1526-100X.2009.00648.xAbstract
Global biodiversity hotspots contain exceptional concentrations of endemic species in areas of escalating habitat loss. However, most hotspots are geographically constrained and consequently vulnerable to climate change as there is limited ability for the movement of species to less hostile conditions. Predicted changes to rainfall and temperature will undoubtedly further impact on freshwater ecosystems in these hotspots. Southwestern Australia is a biodiversity hotspot and, as one of the first to experience significant climate change, is an example and potentially a global bellwether for issues associated with river restoration. In this hotspot, current and predicted water temperatures may exceed thermal tolerances of aquatic fauna. Gondwanic aquatic fauna, characteristic of southwestern Australia, are typically cold stenotherms and consequently intolerant of elevated temperatures. The hotspot in southwestern Australia is geographically restricted being surrounded by ocean and desert, and many important national parks are located on the extreme south coast, where the landscape is relatively flat. Consequently, fauna cannot change their distribution southwards or with altitude as a response to increasing temperatures. Therefore, any mitigation responses need to be in situ to produce a suitable biophysical envelope to enhance species’ resilience. This could be through “over restoration” by increased riparian replanting at a catchment scale. A rule-of-thumb of a 10% increase in riparian cover would be required to reduce water temperatures by 1°C. These restoration techniques are considered applicable to other global biodiversity hotspots where geography constrains species’ movement and the present condition is the desired restoration endpoint.
Ecological restorationClimate change adaptationEcosystem healthWetlandOperational approaches to managing forests of the future in Mediterranean regions within a context of changing climates
Environmental Research Letters (2010). Perspective.
http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/5/2/024003/metaAbstract
Many US forest managers have used historical ecology information to assist in the development of desired conditions. While there are many important lessons to learn from the past, we believe that we cannot rely on past forest conditions to provide us with blueprints for future management. To respond to this uncertainty, managers will be challenged to integrate adaptation strategies into plans in response to changing climates. Adaptive strategies include resistance options, resilience options, response options, and realignment options. Our objectives are to present ideas that could be useful in developing plans under changing climates that could be applicable to forests with Mediterranean climates. We believe that managing for species persistence at the broad ecoregion scale is the most appropriate goal when considering the effects of changing climates. Such a goal relaxes expectations that current species ranges will remain constant, or that population abundances, distribution, species compositions and dominances should remain stable. Allowing fundamental ecosystem processes to operate within forested landscapes will be critical. Management and political institutions will have to acknowledge and embrace uncertainty in the future since we are moving into a time period with few analogs and inevitably, there will be surprises.
Ecosystem-based managementClimate change adaptationEcosystem healthForestProcess-based principles for restoring river ecosystems
BioScience (2010). Methodological Article.
https://doi.org/10.1525/bio.2010.60.3.7Abstract
Process-based restoration aims to reestablish normative rates and magnitudes of physical, chemical, and biological processes that sustain river and floodplain ecosystems. Ecosystem conditions at any site are governed by hierarchical regional, watershed, and reach-scale processes controlling hydrologic and sediment regimes; floodplain and aquatic habitat dynamics; and riparian and aquatic biota. We outline and illustrate four process-based principles that ensure river restoration will be guided toward sustainable actions: (1) restoration actions should address the root causes of degradation, (2) actions must be consistent with the physical and biological potential of the site, (3) actions should be at a scale commensurate with environmental problems, and (4) actions should have clearly articulated expected outcomes for ecosystem dynamics. Applying these principles will help avoid common pitfalls in river restoration, such as creating habitat types that are outside of a site’s natural potential, attempting to build static habitats in dynamic environments, or constructing habitat features that are ultimately overwhelmed by unconsidered system drivers.
Ecological restorationEcosystem healthWetlandGrowth, production and carbon sequestration of silvopastoral systems with native timber species in the dry lowlands of Costa Rica
Plant and Soil (2009). Original Research.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11104-008-9600-xAbstract
The multiple environmental issues of loss of forest cover due to cattle farming combined with pasture degradation leading to low levels of production, consequent extensification and therefore to more deforestation, are serious concerns in Costa Rica. To test the feasibility of countering these by combining a more productive pasture system with indigenous tree species, a silvopastoral experiment was established on a farm in the seasonally dry lowlands of Cañas, Guanacaste Province. A rapidly growing pasture species (Brachiaria brizantha) was tested against a traditional pasture dominated by Hyparrhenia rufa. Three indigenous tree species were established: Pithecellobium saman, Diphysa robinioides and Dalbergia retusa. Plots were grazed by cattle for 4 or 5 days with one to 2 month intervals between grazing episodes. After 51 months, D. robinioides was the fastest growing species, and P. saman the slowest, while B. brizantha produced three times the above ground and twice the below ground biomass as H. rufa, and trees had no effect upon grass yield. Contrary to competition theory, there was no effect of pasture species upon the two faster growing tree species. The carbon in above and below ground phytomass varied between 3.5 and 12.5 Mg C ha−1 in treeless pasture controls and silvopastoral systems, respectively, and total soil organic carbon (TSOC) in the upper 0.6 m averaged 110 Mg ha−1. B. brizantha appeared to stimulate tree root production, which in turn was highly correlated with TSOC, resulting in annual increments in TSOC of up to 9.9 Mg ha−1 year−1. These early results indicate the promising potential of this silvopastoral system for combining cattle production, and increasing tree cover and carbon sequestration.
Ecosystem-based mitigationNature-based agricultural systemsClimate change mitigationEcosystem healthFood and water securityArtificial Landscapes - TerrestrialForestEnhancement of biodiversity and ecosystem services by ecological restoration: a meta-analysis
Science (2009). Meta-Analysis.
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/325/5944/1121Abstract
Ecological restoration is widely used to reverse the environmental degradation caused by human activities. However, the effectiveness of restoration actions in increasing provision of both biodiversity and ecosystem services has not been evaluated systematically. A meta-analysis of 89 restoration assessments in a wide range of ecosystem types across the globe indicates that ecological restoration increased provision of biodiversity and ecosystem services by 44 and 25%, respectively. However, values of both remained lower in restored versus intact reference ecosystems. Increases in biodiversity and ecosystem service measures after restoration were positively correlated. Results indicate that restoration actions focused on enhancing biodiversity should support increased provision of ecosystem services, particularly in tropical terrestrial biomes.
Ecological restorationEcosystem healthFood and water securityHuman well-being & developmentMangroves protected villages and reduced death toll during Indian super cyclone
PNAS (2009). Original Research.
http://www.pnas.org/content/106/18/7357.shortAbstract
Protection against coastal disasters has been identified as an important service of mangrove ecosystems. Empirical studies on this service have been criticized, however, for using small samples and inadequately controlling for confounding factors. We used data on several hundred villages to test the impact of mangroves on human deaths during a 1999 super cyclone that struck Orissa, India. We found that villages with wider mangroves between them and the coast experienced significantly fewer deaths than ones with narrower or no mangroves. This finding was robust to the inclusion of a wide range of other variables to our statistical model, including controls for the historical extent of mangroves. Although mangroves evidently saved fewer lives than an early warning issued by the government, the retention of remaining mangroves in Orissa is economically justified even without considering the many benefits they provide to human society besides storm-protection services.
Ecosystem-based disaster risk reductionDisaster risk reductionWetlandAdapting to climate change in the Netherlands: An inventory of climate adaptation options and ranking of alternatives
Climatic Change (2009). Original Research.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-009-9576-4Abstract
In many countries around the world impacts of climate change are assessed and adaptation options identified. We describe an approach for a qualitative and quantitative assessment of adaptation options to respond to climate change in the Netherlands. The study introduces an inventory and ranking of adaptation options based on stakeholder analysis and expert judgement, and presents some estimates of incremental costs and benefits. The qualitative assessment focuses on ranking and prioritisation of adaptation options. Options are selected and identified and discussed by stakeholders on the basis of a sectoral approach, and assessed with respect to their importance, urgency and other characteristics by experts. The preliminary quantitative assessment identifies incremental costs and benefits of adaptation options. Priority ranking based on a weighted sum of criteria reveals that in the Netherlands integrated nature and water management and risk based policies rank high, followed by policies aiming at ‘climate proof’ housing and infrastructure.
Ecosystem-based adaptationClimate change adaptationDisaster risk reductionWatershed and forest management for landslide risk reduction
Springer (2009). Book (chapter).
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-540-69970-5_33Abstract
Landslide hazard can be influenced by natural resource management and rural development related activities, such as forest management, road construction, agricultural practices and river management. Vegetation cover and its utilizations may play a role in mitigating the risk of landsliding. Moreover and above all, it does play a role in mitigating the processes leading to increased landslide hazard, such as gully erosion. Thus, forest management and development are of particular concern. But all people living in mountain areas rely on the soil stability for their livelihoods, and their livelihoods may influence this soil stability. Therefore all related activities have to be done on an appropriate way in order to promote soil and slope stability. To identify best adapted practices in a particular area, to organize spatially the different land uses and to promote the implementation of the identified best practices, the ideal scale is the watershed. It allows addressing upstream-downstream linking issues, such as landslides, and provides a framework for sound land use planning. However, it is not always possible to implement actions exactly with the watershed boundaries. From the lack of knowledge regarding the scientific evidence of the role of forests against landslides to the institutional challenge of implementing watershed scaled policies, many progresses have to be done regarding this issue. But the already existing scientific knowledge, the integrated projects which are already implemented and the results which are obtained are encouraging. Above all, they show that fundamental research, socio-economic levers and institutional development have to be carried out and developed in a sound way, towards a better understanding of all the natural and man-made processes and a better management of all natural resources, in particular water and soil of the mountain areas.
Ecosystem-based disaster risk reductionNatural resource managementDisaster risk reductionForestFloodplain restoration along the lower Danube: A climate change adaptation case study
Climate and Development (2009). Original Research.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3763/cdev.2009.0022Abstract
Conversion of the Danube river floodplains through dyke construction for farming and other development has cut off 95, 75 and 28% of the floodplains of the upper Danube, the lower Danube and the Danube delta, respectively. Together with channelization, this has exacerbated flood peaks. Anthropogenic climate change is anticipated to bring more frequent flooding and reduced water quality. In assessing ongoing floodplain restoration work that commenced in 1993, this paper finds the following. (a) Along the lower Danube River, restoration of floodplains by decommissioning under-performing flood protection infrastructure has provided many benefits. The benefits of these adaptation measures include improved natural capacity to retain and release floodwaters and remove pollutants, enhanced biodiversity, and strengthened local economies through diversification of livelihoods based on natural resources. (b) The drivers for more successful adaptation measures in the Danube included EU expansion, legal mechanisms, and local desire to improve livelihoods. The support of non-governmental organizations (WWF and partner organizations) for basin- and regional-level planning for more effective water resource management has also been a powerful driver of policy change in the lower Danube countries.
Ecological restorationEcosystem-based adaptationClimate change adaptationDisaster risk reductionFood and water securityWetland