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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Saving Scotland’s Rainforest: managing the impact of deer
Woodland Trust Scotland (2023). Policy Brief.
https://www.scotlink.org/publication/saving-scotlands-rainforest-managing-the-impact-of-deer/Abstract
This report to Scottish Environment LINK Deer Group was commissioned by Woodland Trust Scotland.
The report lays out the challenge at hand: to reduce deer’s negative impact on the rainforest while also retaining their key role as a natural part of its ecosystem.
Ecological restorationClimate change adaptationEcosystem healthForestField-Scale Floating Treatment Wetlands: Quantifying Ecosystem Service Provision from Monoculture vs. Polyculture Macrophyte Communities
Land: Environmental and Policy Impact Assessment (2023). Review.
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/7/1382Abstract
Global water security is critical for human health, well-being, and economic stability. However, freshwater environments are under increasing anthropogenic pressure and now, more than ever, there is an urgent need for integrated approaches that couple issues of water security and the remediation of degraded aquatic environments. One such strategy is the use of floating treatment wetlands (FTW), which are artificial floating mats that sustain and support the growth of macrophytes capable of removing nutrients from over-enriched waterbodies. In this study, we quantify a range of indicators associated with FTWs, planted with different vegetation community types (i.e., monocultures and polycultures) over the course of a three-year field-scale study. The composition of the two different types of FTWs changed significantly with a convergence in diversity and community composition between the two types of FTWs. Phytoremediation potential of the two FTW communities, in terms of nutrient standing stocks, were also similar but did compare favourably to comparable wild-growing plant communities. There were few substantial differences in invertebrate habitat provision under the FTWs, although the high incidence of predators demonstrated that FTWs can support diverse macroinvertebrate communities. This field-scale study provides important practical insights for environmental managers and demonstrates the potential for enhanced ecosystem service provision from employing nature-based solutions, such as FTWs, in freshwater restoration projects.
Ecological restorationFood and water securityWetlandThe impacts of climate change on biodiversity loss and its remedial measures using nature based conservation approach: a global perspective
Biodiversity & Conservation (2023). Review.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10531-023-02656-1Abstract
The review aims to present the effects of climate change on biodiversity and its remedial measures using Nature based solution (Nbs). At least 40% of the world’s economy, and 80% of the economy of less industrialized nations, is derived directly from biological resources as a function of ecosystem service. Climate change is a key driver for mass extinction, latitudinal and altitudinal shifts of species location, change in species richness and composition, change in phenology, decline in ecosystem services and outbreak of plant and animal disease. The most important notable drivers behind the current loss of biodiversity are habitat modification, overexploitation, climate change, invasive alien species, and chains of extinction. Loss in biodiversity has been attributed primarily to changes in the intensity by which the land and sea are used (34% contribution to losses over the past century) and direct exploitation of species (23%), followed by climate change and pollution (14% each). The impact of climate change is projected to surpass other threats during the twenty-first century both through direct effects and intensifying interactions with other drivers. Under a global warming scenario of 1.5 °C warming, 6% of insects, 8% of plants and 4% of vertebrates are projected to lose over half of their climatically determined geographic range. For global warming of 2 °C, the comparable fractions are 18% of insects, 16% of plants and 8% of vertebrates. Future warming of 3.2 °C above preindustrial levels is projected to lead to loss of more than half of the historical geographic range in 49% of insects, 44% of plants, and 26% of vertebrates. Nature based solutions such as protection of intact ecosystems, managing working lands and restoring native cover are some of the important measures for climate change mitigation and biodiversity protection, although it will be difficult to achieve without the reduction fossil fuel emissions.
Ecosystem-based disaster risk reductionNature-based solutions in generalClimate change adaptationReverse the Cerrado’s neglect
Nature Sustainability (2023). Review.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-023-01182-wAbstract
The Cerrado biome in Brazil is the most biodiverse savannah in the world1 and has a key role in stabilizing both the local and the global climate, storing carbon and providing fresh water to the country2. Yet, the Cerrado has little protection and is being converted for agriculture at an alarming rate. Recently released official data reveal that, in 2022, deforestation in the biome rose for the third consecutive year3. The area cleared was 25% higher than the previous year, reaching 10,689 km² (ref. 3), rivalling the rates of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon (12,479 km²), despite the Cerrado being only half the size3. Almost three-quarters of that conversion took place in the MATOPIBA agricultural frontier, where nearly 25% of Cerrado’s soybean harvest is planted4. The current high rates of conversion even jeopardize the future of agricultural production in the Cerrado. The loss of the Cerrado has contributed to extreme climate events over the past decade5, which increased surface-sensible heat flux, reduced evapotranspiration and crop yields and threatened the feasibility of multi-cropping systems6, as well as exacerbated land concentration and farmers’ indebtedness.
Nature-based agricultural systemsClimate change adaptationEcosystem healthFood and water securityHuman well-being & developmentSavannaOpportunities for nature-based solutions to contribute to climate-resilient development pathways
Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability (2023). Review.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2023.101297Abstract
There is potential for nature-based solutions (NbS) to contribute to climate-resilient development (CRD) due to their integrated approach to mitigation, adaptation, and sustainable development. However, despite alignment between NbS and CRD’s objectives, realization of this potential is not guaranteed. A CRD pathways (CRDP) approach helps to analyze the complexities of the relationship between CRD and NbS, and a climate justice lens enables the identification of the multiple ways that NbS can support or undermine CRD by foregrounding the politics inherent in deciding between NbS trade-offs. We use stylized vignettes of potential NbS to examine how the dimensions of climate justice reveal the potential of NbS to contribute to CRDP. We consider tensions in NbS projects between local and global climate objectives, and the potential for NbS framing to reinforce inequalities or unsustainable practices. Ultimately, we present a framework that combines climate justice and CRDP in an analytical tool for understanding the potential for a NbS to support CRD in specific places.
Nature-based solutions in generalClimate change adaptationClimate change mitigationDiverse values of nature for sustainability
Nature (2023). Review.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06406-9Abstract
Twenty-five years since foundational publications on valuing ecosystem services for human well-being1,2, addressing the global biodiversity crisis3 still implies confronting barriers to incorporating nature’s diverse values into decision-making. These barriers include powerful interests supported by current norms and legal rules such as property rights, which determine whose values and which values of nature are acted on. A better understanding of how and why nature is (under)valued is more urgent than ever4. Notwithstanding agreements to incorporate nature’s values into actions, including the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)5 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals6, predominant environmental and development policies still prioritize a subset of values, particularly those linked to markets, and ignore other ways people relate to and benefit from nature7. Arguably, a ‘values crisis’ underpins the intertwined crises of biodiversity loss and climate change8, pandemic emergence9 and socio-environmental injustices10. On the basis of more than 50,000 scientific publications, policy documents and Indigenous and local knowledge sources, the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) assessed knowledge on nature’s diverse values and valuation methods to gain insights into their role in policymaking and fuller integration into decisions7,11. Applying this evidence, combinations of values-centred approaches are proposed to improve valuation and address barriers to uptake, ultimately leveraging transformative changes towards more just (that is, fair treatment of people and nature, including inter- and intragenerational equity) and sustainable futures.
Nature-based solutions in generalHuman well-being & developmentThe global impact of EU forest protection policies
Science (2023). Policy Brief.
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adj0728Abstract
The European Union’s Biodiversity and Forest Strategies for 2030 mandate protecting all remaining old-growth forests across the EU, increasing the area of habitat patches set aside within forests harvested for timber, and limiting clear-felling in timber-producing landscapes (1). Although saving old-growth forests is critical, stand-alone policies can produce unintended consequences (2). Without simultaneously reducing demand for forest products or increasing supply from plantations and secondary forests, such measures can lead to increased harvesting elsewhere, often in tropical countries, to accommodate demand. Shifting logging activities to countries with weaker legal protections aggravates biodiversity and carbon losses and exacerbates existing inequities in environmental burdens (3). Isolated policies displacing production will also undermine the EU’s recent Deforestation Regulation to halt imports of deforestation-linked tropical products (4).
Forest landscape restorationEcosystem healthForestWhat Drives and Stops Deforestation, Reforestation, and Forest Degradation? An Updated Meta-analysis
Review of Environmental Economics and Policy Volume 17, Number 2 (2023). Review.
https://doi.org/10.1086/725051Abstract
This article updates our previous comprehensive meta-analysis of what drives and stops deforestation (Busch and Ferretti-Gallon 2017). By including six additional years of research, this article more than doubles the evidence base to 320 spatially explicit econometric studies published in peer-reviewed academic journals from 1996 to 2019. We find that deforestation is consistently associated with greater accessibility (as influenced by natural features such as slope and elevation and built infrastructure such as roads, cities, and cleared areas) and with higher economic returns (from agriculture, livestock, and timber). Some demographic variables are consistently associated with less deforestation (e.g., Indigenous people, poverty, and age) or more deforestation (e.g., population), and others are not associated with the level of deforestation (e.g., education and gender). Policies that directly influence allowable land-use activities are associated with less deforestation (e.g., protected areas, enforcement of forest laws, payments for ecosystem services, community forest management, and certification of sustainable commodities). But policies and institutions that primarily seek other ends are not consistently associated with more or less deforestation (e.g., democracy, general governance, conflict abatement, and land-tenure security). We introduce reforestation and forest degradation as new dependent variables alongside deforestation. Greater population is consistently associated with more forest degradation, whereas steeper slope, greater distance from cities, and lower population are consistently associated with more reforestation.
Forest landscape restorationEcosystem healthForestNavigating the continuum between adaptation and maladaptation
Nature Climate Change volume 13, pages 907–918 (2023) (2023). Review.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-023-01774-6Abstract
Adaptation is increasing across all sectors globally. Yet, the effectiveness of adaptation is inadequate, and examples of maladaptation are increasing. To reduce the risk of maladaptation, we propose the framework, Navigating the Adaptation–Maladaptation continuum (NAM). This framework is composed of six criteria relating to outcomes of adaptation for ecosystems, the climate (greenhouse gases emissions) and social systems (transformational potential) as well as equity-related outcomes for low-income populations, women/girls and marginalized ethnic groups. We apply the NAM framework to a set of representative adaptation options showing that considerable variation exists in the potential for adaptation or the risk of maladaptation. We suggest that decision-makers assess adaptation interventions against the NAM framework criteria and prioritize responses that reduce the risk of maladaptation.
Ecosystem-based adaptationClimate change adaptationOptimisation of selection and placement of nature-based solutions for climate adaptation: a literature review on the modelling and resolution approaches
Environment Systems and Decisions (2023). Systematic Review.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10669-023-09933-yAbstract
Nature-Based Solutions can be considered one of the best answers to the various consequences and problems caused by climate change, poor urbanisation and population growth. They are used not only as measures for the protection, sustainable management and restoration of natural and modified ecosystems but also as measures to mitigate certain natural disasters such as erosion, flooding, drought, storm surge and landslide. The benefit is for both biodiversity and human well-being. This paper reviews articles about optimising the selection and placement of Nature-Based Solutions. It presents several Operations Research approaches used in the context of climate adaptation. The analysis provided in this paper focuses on various case studies, state-of-the-art on Nature-Based Solutions, Operations Research algorithms, dissertations, and other papers dealing with infrastructure placement approaches in the context of climate adaptation.
Nature-based solutions in generalClimate change adaptationForest carbon offsets are failing
SCIENCE 24 Aug 2023 Vol 381, Issue 6660 pp. 830-831 (2023). Review.
DOI: 10.1126/science.adj6951Abstract
Conserving tropical forests is of utmost importance for the future of humanity and biodiversity. Changes in land use, mostly deforestation in the tropics, emit 5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide annually—second only to fossil fuel use, which emits 35 billion tons (1). Reducing emissions to net zero is necessary to stabilize global temperatures (2). One controversial approach to tackle fossil-fuel emissions from private companies, individuals, and governments has been to “offset” them by investing in projects to either stop emissions that would have otherwise occurred, such as by reducing deforestation, or by investing in carbon uptake projects, such as forest restoration. On page 873 of this issue, West et al. (3) show that offsetting through paying projects to reduce emissions by conserving tropical forests is not reducing deforestation as claimed and is worsening climate change.
Ecosystem-based mitigationClimate change mitigationAction needed to make carbon offsets from forest conservation work for climate change mitigation
SCIENCE 24 Aug 2023 Vol 381, Issue 6660 pp. 873-877 (2023). Review.
DOI: 10.1126/science.ade3535Abstract
Carbon offsets from voluntary avoided-deforestation projects are generated on the basis of performance in relation to ex ante deforestation baselines. We examined the effects of 26 such project sites in six countries on three continents using synthetic control methods for causal inference. We found that most projects have not significantly reduced deforestation. For projects that did, reductions were substantially lower than claimed. This reflects differences between the project ex ante baselines and ex post counterfactuals according to observed deforestation in control areas. Methodologies used to construct deforestation baselines for carbon offset interventions need urgent revisions to correctly attribute reduced deforestation to the projects, thus maintaining both incentives for forest conservation and the integrity of global carbon accounting.
Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) projects are intended to decrease carbon emissions from forests to offset other carbon emissions and are often claimed as credits to be used in calculating carbon emission budgets. West et al. compared the actual effects of these projects with measurable baseline values and found that most of them have not reduced deforestation significantly, and those that did had benefits substantially lower than claimed (see the Perspective by Jones and Lewis). Thus, most REDD projects are less beneficial than is often claimed.
Ecosystem-based mitigationClimate change mitigationForestDiverse values of nature for sustainability
Nature volume 620, pages813–823 (2023) (2023). Review.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06406-9Abstract
Twenty-five years since foundational publications on valuing ecosystem services for human well-being1,2, addressing the global biodiversity crisis3 still implies confronting barriers to incorporating nature’s diverse values into decision-making. These barriers include powerful interests supported by current norms and legal rules such as property rights, which determine whose values and which values of nature are acted on. A better understanding of how and why nature is (under)valued is more urgent than ever4. Notwithstanding agreements to incorporate nature’s values into actions, including the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)5 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals6, predominant environmental and development policies still prioritize a subset of values, particularly those linked to markets, and ignore other ways people relate to and benefit from nature7. Arguably, a ‘values crisis’ underpins the intertwined crises of biodiversity loss and climate change8, pandemic emergence9 and socio-environmental injustices10. On the basis of more than 50,000 scientific publications, policy documents and Indigenous and local knowledge sources, the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) assessed knowledge on nature’s diverse values and valuation methods to gain insights into their role in policymaking and fuller integration into decisions7,11. Applying this evidence, combinations of values-centred approaches are proposed to improve valuation and address barriers to uptake, ultimately leveraging transformative changes towards more just (that is, fair treatment of people and nature, including inter- and intragenerational equity) and sustainable futures.
Nature-based solutions in generalHuman well-being & developmentPositive effects of tree diversity on tropical forest restoration in a field-scale experiment
SCIENCE ADVANCES 15 Sep 2023 Vol 9, Issue 37 (2023). Original Research.
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adf0938Abstract
Experiments under controlled conditions have established that ecosystem functioning is generally positively related to levels of biodiversity, but it is unclear how widespread these effects are in real-world settings and whether they can be harnessed for ecosystem restoration. We used remote-sensing data from the first decade of a long-term, field-scale tropical restoration experiment initiated in 2002 to test how the diversity of planted trees affected recovery of a 500-ha area of selectively logged forest measured using multiple sources of satellite data. Replanting using species-rich mixtures of tree seedlings with higher phylogenetic and functional diversity accelerated restoration of remotely sensed estimates of aboveground biomass, canopy cover, and leaf area index. Our results are consistent with a positive relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in the lowland dipterocarp rainforests of SE Asia and demonstrate that using diverse mixtures of species can enhance their initial recovery after logging.
Forest landscape restorationEcosystem healthForestA regional approach to save the Amazon
SCIENCE 21 Sep 2023 Vol 381, Issue 6664 p. 1261 (2023). Communication.
DOI: 10.1126/science.adk8794Abstract
Early in August this year, a high-profile summit was held in Belém, Brazil, where the eight Amazonian countries discussed the future of the Amazon. The nations recognized that the Amazon is very close to reaching a tipping point for turning into a degraded ecosystem. The result of their discussions was the Belém Declaration, an ambitious plan to protect and conserve the Amazon forests and to support Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Concern arose, however, because they failed to agree on attaining zero deforestation by 2030 and on avoiding new explorations in the Amazon for fossil fuel. The Declaration also lacks specific and measurable indicators. The ministers of Foreign Affairs therefore have a very important role in further refining the agenda and deadlines so that the Belém Declaration can be implemented.
For over three decades, science has pointed to the risks of the Amazon reaching a tipping point. Several recent studies now demonstrate how close it is: The dry season over southern Amazon has lengthened by 4 to 5 weeks over the past 40 years, the mortality of wet-loving tree species has increased, and the loss of trees is turning the forests into a carbon source rather than a carbon sink.
Ecosystem-based mitigationClimate change mitigationForestEstablishing a biocultural heritage territory to protect Kenya’s Kaya Forests: mid-term project workshop
IIED, London (2023). Original Research.
https://www.iied.org/21556iiedAbstract
Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), in collaboration with IIED, is implementing the project ‘Establishing a biocultural heritage territory to protect Kenya’s Kaya Forests’ in the Rabai Mijikenda community. Rabai sub-county forms part of the Coastal Forests global biodiversity hotspot, currently under threat. The project aims to conserve biodiversity and genetic resources in four sacred Kaya forests and across the landscape. It also aims to enhance livelihoods and establish a community institution for collective governance of the Rabai Biocultural Heritage Territory.
The mid-term project workshop brought together the community and key government agencies to review progress and challenges with establishing a collectively governed biocultural heritage territory in Rabai and develop strategies to address them.
Ecosystem-based managementHuman well-being & developmentForest