Bibliography

711 publications found

• The role of Indigenous peoples and local communities in effective and equitable conservation

  Dawson N.M. et al. Ecology and Society (2021). Original Research.
  https://ecologyandsociety.org/vol26/iss3/art19/

  Abstract

  Debate about what proportion of the Earth to protect often overshadows the question of how nature should be conserved and by whom. We present a systematic review and narrative synthesis of 169 publications investigating how different forms of governance influence conservation outcomes, paying particular attention to the role played by Indigenous peoples and local communities. We find a stark contrast between the outcomes produced by externally controlled conservation, and those produced by locally controlled efforts. Crucially, most studies presenting positive outcomes for both well-being and conservation come from cases where Indigenous peoples and local communities play a central role, such as when they have substantial influence over decision making or when local institutions regulating tenure form a recognized part of governance. In contrast, when interventions are controlled by external organizations and involve strategies to change local practices and supersede customary institutions, they tend to result in relatively ineffective conservation at the same time as producing negative social outcomes. Our findings suggest that equitable conservation, which empowers and supports the environmental stewardship of Indigenous peoples and local communities represents the primary pathway to effective long-term conservation of biodiversity, particularly when upheld in wider law and policy. Whether for protected areas in biodiversity hotspots or restoration of highly modified ecosystems, whether involving highly traditional or diverse and dynamic local communities, conservation can become more effective through an increased focus on governance type and quality, and fostering solutions that reinforce the role, capacity, and rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities. We detail how to enact progressive governance transitions through recommendations for conservation policy, with immediate relevance for how to achieve the next decade’s conservation targets under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.

  Community-based adaptationNature-based agricultural systemsEcosystem healthHuman well-being & development

• Nature-based solutions for flood risk reduction: A probabilistic modeling framework

  Lallemant, D. et al. One Earth (2021). Original Research.
  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590332221004681

  Abstract

  Flooding is the most frequent and damaging natural hazard globally. While nature-based solutions can reduce flood risk, they are not part of mainstream risk management. We develop a probabilistic risk analysis framework to quantify these benefits that (1) accounts for frequent small events and rarer large events, (2) can be applied to large basins and data-scarce contexts, and (3) quantifies economic benefits and reduction in people affected. Measuring benefits in terms of avoided losses enables the integration of nature-based solutions in standard cost-benefit analysis of protective infrastructure. Results for the Chindwin River basin in Myanmar highlight the potential consequences of deforestation on long-term flood risk. We find that loss reduction is driven by small but frequent storms, suggesting that current practice relying on large storms may underestimate the benefits of nature-based solutions. By providing average annual losses, the framework helps mainstream nature-based solutions in infrastructure planning or insurance practice.

  Ecosystem-based disaster risk reductionDisaster risk reduction

• Pathways to a forest-based bioeconomy in 2060 within policy targets on climate change mitigation and biodiversity protection

  Luhas, J. et al. Forest Policy and Economics (2021). Original Research.
  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S138993412100157X

  Abstract

  While climate change and biodiversity loss have exposed humanity to major systemic risks, policymakers in more than 40 countries have proposed the transition from a fossil-based to a bio-based economy as a solution to curb the risks. In the boreal region, forests have a prominent role in contributing to bioeconomy development; however, forest-based bioeconomy transition pathways towards sustainability and the required actions have not yet been identified. Participatory backcasting was employed in this study to ‘negotiate’ such pathways among Finnish stakeholders by 2060 in three forest-based value networks: forest biorefineries, fibre-based packaging and wooden multistorey construction. There are many alternative pathways, ranging from incremental to more radical, to a forest-based bioeconomy within a framework of ambitious climate and biodiversity targets. Path dependence can support incremental development on bioeconomy transition pathways, and this should be considered when planning transition towards sustainability. Orchestration of the more radical changes requires actions from legislators, raw material producers, consumers and researchers, because the possibilities for business development vary between different companies and value networks. The envisioned actions between the pathways in and across the networks, such as forest diversification and diverse wood utilisation, can offer co-benefits in climate change mitigation and biodiversity protection.

  Infrastructure-related approachesNature-based agricultural systemsClimate change mitigationEcosystem healthForest

• Ecosystem-Based Adaptation to Protect Avian Species in Coastal Communities in the Greater Niagara Region, Canada

  Gauthier, S. et al. Climate (2021). Review.
  https://www.mdpi.com/2225-1154/9/6/91

  Abstract

  Coastal communities are increasingly vulnerable to climate change and its effects may push coastal ecosystems to undergo irreversible changes. This is especially true for shorebirds with the loss of biodiversity and resource-rich habitats to rest, refuel, and breed. To protect these species, it is critical to conduct research related to nature-based Solutions (NbS). Through a scoping review of scientific literature, this paper initially identified 85 articles with various ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) strategies that could help conserve shorebird populations and promote ecotourism. Of these 85 articles, 28 articles had EbA strategies that were examined, with some like coral reefs and mangroves eliminated as they were inappropriate for this region. The scoping review identified four major EbA strategies for the Greater Niagara Region with living shorelines and beach nourishment being the most suitable, especially when combined. These strategies were then evaluated against the eight core principles of nature-based solutions protecting shorebird as well as human wellbeing. Living shoreline strategy was the only one that met all eight NbS principles. As the coastline of the region greatly varies in substrate and development, further research will be needed to decide which EbA strategies would be appropriate for each specific area to ensure their efficacy.

  Ecosystem-based adaptationEcosystem healthCoastline

• Effectiveness of small- and large-scale Nature-Based Solutions for flood mitigation: The case of Ayutthaya, Thailand

  Vojinovic, Z. et al. Science of The Total Environment (2021). Original Research.
  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969721027960

  Abstract

  There is growing evidence that traditional response to floods and flood-related disaster is no longer achieving desirable results. Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) represent a relatively new response towards disaster risk reduction, water security, and resilience to climate change, which has a potential to be more effective and sustainable than traditional measures. However, in practice, these measures are still being applied at a slow rate while traditional grey infrastructure remains as a preferred choice. This can be attributed to several barriers which range from political and governance to social and technological/technical. More generally, there is a lack of sufficient knowledge base to accelerate their wider acceptance and uptake. The present work provides contribution in this direction and addresses the question of effectiveness of different types of NBS (i.e., small- and large-scale NBS) and their hybrid combinations with grey infrastructure. The work has been applied on the case of Ayutthaya, Thailand. The results suggest that the effectiveness of small-scale NBS is limited to smaller rainfall events whereas the larger (or extreme) events necessitate combinations of different kinds of measures with different scales of implementation (i.e., hybrid measures).

  Ecosystem-based disaster risk reductionInfrastructure-related approachesClimate change mitigationDisaster risk reduction

• Constraints and enablers for increasing carbon storage in the terrestrial biosphere

  Nolan, C.J. et al. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment (2021). Review.
  https://www.nature.com/articles/s43017-021-00166-8

  Abstract

  Harnessing nature-based climate solutions (NbCS) to help simultaneously achieve climate and conservation goals is an attractive win-win. The contribution of NbCS to climate action relies on both biogeochemical potential and the ability to overcome environmental, economic and governance constraints for implementation. As such, estimates of additional NbCS-related terrestrial biosphere storage potential range from less than 100 GtCO2 to more than 800 GtCO2. In this Review, we assess the negative emissions contributions of NbCS — including reforestation, improved forest management and soil carbon sequestration — alongside their environmental, social and governance constraints. Given near-term implementation challenges and long-term biogeochemical constraints, a reasonable value for the expected impact of NbCS is up to 100–200 GtCO2 in negative emissions for the remainder of the twenty-first century. To sustainably reach this level, focus should be on projects with clear co-benefits, and must not come at the expense of a reduction in emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, rapid decarbonization and innovation from alternative negative emissions technologies.
  Key points

  Nature-based solutions in generalClimate change adaptationClimate change mitigation

• Natural climate solutions for Canada

  Drever, C.R. et al. Science Advances (2021). Original Research.
  https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abd6034

  Abstract

  Alongside the steep reductions needed in fossil fuel emissions, natural climate solutions (NCS) represent readily deployable options that can contribute to Canada’s goals for emission reductions. We estimate the mitigation potential of 24 NCS related to the protection, management, and restoration of natural systems that can also deliver numerous co-benefits, such as enhanced soil productivity, clean air and water, and biodiversity conservation. NCS can provide up to 78.2 (41.0 to 115.1) Tg CO2e/year (95% CI) of mitigation annually in 2030 and 394.4 (173.2 to 612.4) Tg CO2e cumulatively between 2021 and 2030, with 34% available at ≤CAD 50/Mg CO2e. Avoided conversion of grassland, avoided peatland disturbance, cover crops, and improved forest management offer the largest mitigation opportunities. The mitigation identified here represents an important potential contribution to the Paris Agreement, such that NCS combined with existing mitigation plans could help Canada to meet or exceed its climate goals.

  Area-based approachesNature-based agricultural systemsNature-based solutions in generalClimate change adaptationClimate change mitigationEcosystem healthForestWetland

• Nature-Based Solutions as Tools for Monitoring the Abiotic and Biotic Factors in Urban Ecosystems

  Larcher, F. et al. Urban Services to Ecosystems (2021). Book (chapter). Original Research.
  https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-75929-2_7

  Abstract

  Nature-based solutions (NBS) include a wide spectrum of situations: natural and seminatural green spaces, urban forests, designed gardens and parks, green road lines and roundabouts, bio-swales, productive gardens, green roofs and walls. In each site, the challenge is to provide the best solution according to the environmental and cultural context and the citizens’ demand. The urban horticulture in synergy with NBS provides to design, realise and manage green solutions for specific problems in the urban context. NBS supplies actions able to improve urban resilience and many opportunities for improving urban quality, optimising the delivering of a mixed range of ecosystem services (ES). This chapter highlights that NBS can be used for monitoring, soil, air and water quality, water matrices and pollinator diversity. We therefore describe methods for monitoring the quality of soil, air, water matrices and pollinator diversity and abundance. In conclusion, we point out some key aspects, under an interdisciplinary perspective, in order to promote further and deeper knowledge in the application of NBS in the urban environments.

  Infrastructure-related approachesNature-based solutions in generalEcosystem healthHuman well-being & development

• Stewardship Innovation: The Forgotten Component in Maximising the Value of Urban Nature-Based Solutions

  Nash, C. et al. Urban Services to Ecosystem (2021). Book (chapter). Original Research.
  https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-75929-2_9

  Abstract

  Nature-based solutions (NBS) enable the ecosystem service benefits associated with natural landscapes to be embedded into the built environment, simultaneously providing environmental, social, and economic benefits. This represents a mechanism for renaturing cities that can address many of the interrelated challenges associated with urbanisation and climate change. If NBS can be delivered effectively on citywide scales, it presents an opportunity for the development of sustainable, resilient, and liveable cities. Examples of innovation in relation to planning and delivering NBS are emerging globally. However, the stewardship plan, an essential element of NBS that typically underpins the long-term success of these high-profile initiatives, is often overlooked or under-planned. Careful consideration of the technical, financing, and governance aspects of NBS stewardship can be critical to determining whether an NBS is able to deliver the multifunctional benefits for which it was designed, adapt to changing needs and environmental conditions, and avoid becoming a liability to those communities it was designed to benefit. Here we present a series of case studies demonstrating how innovation in NBS stewardship can secure and maximise the long-term success of NBS and avoid the legacy of neglected or poorly managed green wash.

  Infrastructure-related approachesNature-based solutions in generalEcosystem healthHuman well-being & development

• Time to integrate global climate change and biodiversity science-policy agendas

  Pettoreli, N. et al. Journal of Applied Ecology (2021). Original Research.
  https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2664.13985

  Abstract

  1. There is an increasing recognition that, although the climate change and biodiversity crises are fundamentally connected, they have been primarily addressed independently and a more integrated global approach is essential to tackle these two global challenges.
     Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are hailed as a pathway for promoting synergies between the climate change and biodiversity agendas. There are, however, uncertainties and difficulties associated with the implementation of NbS, while the evidence regarding their benefits for biodiversity remains limited.
  2. We identify five key research areas where incomplete or poor information hinders the development of integrated biodiversity and climate solutions. These relate to refining our understanding of how climate change mitigation and adaptation approaches benefit biodiversity conservation; enhancing our ability to track and predict ecosystems on the move and/or facing collapse; improving our capacity to predict the impacts of climate change on the effectiveness of NbS; developing solutions that match the temporal, spatial and functional scale of the challenges; and developing a comprehensive and practical framework for assessing, and mitigating against, the risks posed by the implementation of NbS.
  3. Policy implications. The Conference of the Parties (COP) for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) present a clear policy window for developing coherent policy frameworks that align targets across the nexus of biodiversity and climate change. This window should (a) address the substantial and chronic underfunding of global biodiversity conservation, (b) remove financial incentives that negatively impact biodiversity and/or climate change, (c) develop higher levels of integration between the biodiversity and climate change agendas, (d) agree on a monitoring framework that enables the standardised quantification and comparison of biodiversity gains associated with NbS across ecosystems and over time and (e) rethink environmental legislation to better support biodiversity conservation in times of rapid climatic change.
  Nature-based solutions in generalClimate change adaptationClimate change mitigationEcosystem health

• Upscaling tropical restoration to deliver environmental benefits and socially equitable outcomes

  Edwards, D. P. et al. Current Biology (2021). Review.
  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982221011945

  Abstract

  The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration offers immense potential to return hundreds of millions of hectares of degraded tropical landscapes to functioning ecosystems. Well-designed restoration can tackle multiple Sustainable Development Goals, driving synergistic benefits for biodiversity, ecosystem services, agricultural and timber production, and local livelihoods at large spatial scales. To deliver on this potential, restoration efforts must recognise and reduce trade-offs among objectives, and minimize competition with food production and conservation of native ecosystems. Restoration initiatives also need to confront core environmental challenges of climate change and inappropriate planting in savanna biomes, be robustly funded over the long term, and address issues of poor governance, inadequate land tenure, and socio-cultural disparities in benefits and costs. Tackling these issues using the landscape approach is vital to realising the potential for restoration to break the cycle of land degradation and poverty, and deliver on its core environmental and social promises.

  Ecological restorationEcosystem healthHuman well-being & developmentForestGrassland

• Land-based measures to mitigate climate change: Potential and feasibility by country

  Roe, S. et al. Global Change Biology (2021). Original Research.
  https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.15873

  Abstract

  Land-based climate mitigation measures have gained significant attention and importance in public and private sector climate policies. Building on previous studies, we refine and update the mitigation potentials for 20 land-based measures in >200 countries and five regions, comparing “bottom-up” sectoral estimates with integrated assessment models (IAMs). We also assess implementation feasibility at the country level. Cost-effective (available up to $100/tCO2eq) land-based mitigation is 8–13.8 GtCO2eq yr−1 between 2020 and 2050, with the bottom end of this range representing the IAM median and the upper end representing the sectoral estimate. The cost-effective sectoral estimate is about 40% of available technical potential and is in line with achieving a 1.5°C pathway in 2050. Compared to technical potentials, cost-effective estimates represent a more realistic and actionable target for policy. The cost-effective potential is approximately 50% from forests and other ecosystems, 35% from agriculture, and 15% from demand-side measures. The potential varies sixfold across the five regions assessed (0.75–4.8 GtCO2eq yr−1) and the top 15 countries account for about 60% of the global potential. Protection of forests and other ecosystems and demand-side measures present particularly high mitigation efficiency, high provision of co-benefits, and relatively lower costs. The feasibility assessment suggests that governance, economic investment, and socio-cultural conditions influence the likelihood that land-based mitigation potentials are realized. A substantial portion of potential (80%) is in developing countries and LDCs, where feasibility barriers are of greatest concern. Assisting countries to overcome barriers may result in significant quantities of near-term, low-cost mitigation while locally achieving important climate adaptation and development benefits. Opportunities among countries vary widely depending on types of land-based measures available, their potential co-benefits and risks, and their feasibility. Enhanced investments and country-specific plans that accommodate this complexity are urgently needed to realize the large global potential from improved land stewardship.

  Ecological restorationEcosystem-based managementEcosystem-based mitigationNature-based solutions in generalClimate change mitigation

• Nature-dependent people: Mapping human direct use of nature for basic needs across the tropics

  Fedele, G. et al. Global Environmental Change (2021). Original Research.
  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959378021001473#

  Abstract

  Understanding where people depend the most on natural resources for their basic human needs is crucial for planning conservation and development interventions. For some people, nature is a direct source of food, clean water, and energy through subsistence uses. However, a high direct dependency on nature for basic needs makes people particularly sensitive to changes in climate, land cover, and land tenure. Based on more than 5 million household interviews conducted in 85 tropical countries, we identified where people highly depend on nature for their basic needs. Our results show that 1.2 billion people, or 30% of the population across tropical countries, are highly dependent on nature. In places where people highly depend on nature for their basic needs, nature-based strategies that protect, restore or sustainably manage ecosystems must be carefully designed to promote inclusive human development alongside environmental benefits.

  Ecosystem-based managementNature-based solutions in generalEcosystem healthHuman well-being & developmentArtificial Landscapes - TerrestrialCoastlineForestGrasslandWetland

• Livelihood vulnerability and adaptation strategies of coastal areas in the face of climate change in Bangladesh: A literature review

  Hossain, M.N., et al. Journal of Materials and Environmental Science (2021). Original Research.

  Abstract

  Bangladesh is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to climate change because of its flat and low-lying topography. The country’s coastal areas are most susceptible to river erosion, flooding, tropical cyclones, salinity intrusion, and tidal surges. Natural and human-induced hazards and disasters have a ripple effect on the ecosystem, resulting in the loss of human lives, property, and the valuable resources needed for human subsistence. The review summarizes the current literature, highlighting the vulnerability index, local-level adaptation strategies, and future research work. The reviewed literature
  has reported common hazards like tropical cyclones and tidal waves that can cause tidal floods and riverbank erosion, all of which have a high-to-medium impact on the structure of homes, income, wealth, and employment. Agriculture is the most vulnerable sector in the coastal areas. Aquaculture, shrimp, open-water fish collection, and infrastructure are all vulnerable to disasters in coastal areas. The widely used vulnerability indexes are Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI), Coastal Vulnerability Index (CVI) and principal components (PCs) reported in the literature. The local level adaptation strategy is to build the house on high land using bamboo and wood. The pond/gher bound ponds by the net to protect fish from the overflow water, put soil on the gher dike, and sell fish as soon as possible. Diseases of shrimp viruses and white fishes use calcium carbonate, fertilizer, and potash alum as preventative measures. The farmer converted their agricultural land into gher for fish/shrimp cultivation. The community stored/harvested rainwater in a plastic pot or soil pot. The study results will help the government with landscape planning and a disaster-prevention plan at the local level

  Ecosystem-based disaster risk reductionNature-based agricultural systemsClimate change adaptationDisaster risk reductionCoastlineWetland

• Ensuring effective implementation of the post-2020 global biodiversity targets

  Xu, H., et al. Nature Ecology & Evolution (2021). Perspective.
  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-020-01375-y

  Abstract

  Biodiversity underpins the fundamental elements for human well-being including food security, human health and access to clean water. In 2010, the Aichi Targets were adopted by world leaders to address the crisis of biodiversity loss. Despite conservation efforts, none of the Aichi Targets have been fully met. However, comprehensive analysis of the reasons for failure in terms of implementation mechanisms is, to date, rare and limited in scope. Here, we demonstrate that most parties did not set effective national targets in accordance with the Aichi Targets, and investments, knowledge and accountability for biodiversity conservation have been inadequate to enable effective implementation. We recommend that the new global targets under the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework should be adopted by parties as the minimum national targets to achieve the 2050 Vision. We propose that financial resources for biodiversity conservation are substantially increased through a variety of sources, including the deployment of new economic instruments such as payments for ecosystem services. In addition, science–policy interfaces at all levels need to be strengthened to integrate scientific, Indigenous and local knowledge to support decision-making. We suggest that a compliance and accountability mechanism, based on monitoring systems, is created to provide transparent and credible review of parties’ implementation of the new global targets.

  Ecological restorationNature-based solutions in generalNot applicableEcosystem health

• Guidelines for Citizen Engagement and the Co-Creation of Nature-Based Solutions: Living Knowledge in the URBiNAT Project

  Nunes, N., et al. Sustainability (2021). Original Research.
  https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/23/13378

  Abstract

  Participation and citizen engagement are fundamental elements in urban regeneration and in the deployment of nature-based solutions (NBS) to advance sustainable urban development. Various limitations inherent to participatory processes concerning NBS for inclusive urban regeneration have been addressed, and lessons have been learnt. This paper investigates participation and urban regeneration and focuses on the development of guidelines for citizen engagement and the co-creation of NBS in the H2020 URBiNAT project. The methodology first involves the collection of scientific and practical input on citizen engagement from a variety of stakeholders, such as researchers and practitioners, to constitute a corpus of qualitative data. This input is then systematized into guideline categories and serves as the basis for a deeper analysis with researchers, experts, and practitioners, both inside and outside URBiNAT, and in dialogue with other cases of participatory NBS implementation. The results highlight an ‘ecology of knowledges’ based on a ‘living’ framework, which aims to address the specific needs of various segments of citizens and to match citizen engagement to the participatory cultures of cities. Implications and further research are also discussed, with a special focus on the implementation of NBS. The conclusions broaden the research context to include the refinement of the NBS approach, with participation being seen as both a means and an end.

  Community-based adaptationNature-based solutions in generalEcosystem healthHuman well-being & development