Nature-based Solutions for Climate Adaptation in Small Island Developing States
A first-of-its-kind review provides valuable evidence that NbS can be effective climate adaptation strategies in SIDS, with broadly positive social, ecological, and economic outcomes. Just published by Zoe Brown in Frontiers in Environmental Science, the study shows the potential of NbS to provide triple-win outcomes and synergies across the ocean-climate-biodiversity nexus, and to address critical threats facing SIDS globally, including coastal risks, economic instability, and food insecurity. January 7, 2026
NbSI’s Zoe Brown has published a systematic review of Nature-based Solutions for climate adaptation in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in Frontiers in Environmental Science. As the first review of its kind, this study provides valuable evidence that NbS can be effective climate adaptation strategies in SIDS, with broadly positive social, ecological, and economic outcomes. The evidence demonstrates the potential of NbS to provide triple-win outcomes and synergies across the ocean-climate-biodiversity nexus, and to address critical threats facing SIDS globally, including coastal risks, economic instability, and food insecurity.
Climate Adaptation, Nature-based Solutions, and Small Island Developing States
SIDS are a collection of nations disproportionately affected by climate change, with impacts threatening their communities, ecosystems, and economies. This is due to their limited land availability, geographic isolation, and vulnerability to natural disasters.
NbS can support climate adaptation in SIDS by reducing exposure and sensitivity to climate hazards, and by strengthening adaptive capacity. Because the livelihoods and economies of SIDS are often highly dependent on their natural environments, NbS also offer a way to align conservation and development priorities. Furthermore, given the limited resources of many SIDS, NbS hold potential as an affordable strategy to reduce climate risk in these regions, particularly in addressing coastal threats and food insecurity.
While NbS offer a promising approach to address climate challenges, their effectiveness in SIDS remains poorly understood. Given that SIDS are increasingly incorporating NbS and related concepts into their national planning documents, filling these knowledge gaps is critical to scaling effective climate adaptation in SIDS. This research aimed to fill this evidence gap.
Key Findings
- Evidence shows that NbS can reduce climate risks in SIDS.
- Many interventions report delivering triple wins for climate, biodiversity, and people.
- However, reporting on key mechanisms for long-term resilience remains limited:
- Studies tend to report changes in species diversity, habitat area, or control of local threats, but rarely address other essential aspects of long-term ecological resilience, such as genetic diversity or landscape heterogeneity.
- Similarly, social outcomes are often framed around increases in economic or informational resources, while crucial dimensions like rights and ownership, procedural and distributional equity, and the needs of poor and marginalised groups receive little attention.
- Decision confidence in NbS is constrained by uneven geographic coverage, focus on agricultural systems, lack of counterfactuals and baselines, limited equity reporting, and scarce economic appraisal.
Implications of Research
Given the pressing climate threats facing SIDS, robust scientific evidence is needed to help governments, NGOs, and businesses design, finance, and implement high-integrity NbS adaptation strategies. However, it is important to recognize that NbS are not a one-size-fits-all solution for climate adaptation in SIDS. They need to be designed around the specific climate risks, priorities, and knowledge systems of each nation, island, and community. Without this recognition, NbS risk exacerbating inequalities or failing to meet their intended outcomes.
This study identifies key future research priorities for NbS in SIDS including:
- Stronger representation of under-studied SIDS contexts
- Greater focus on coastal and ocean-related NbS
- Evidence linked to baselines and counterfactuals
- Holistic, long-term monitoring and evaluation
- National and regional-scale synthesis of grey literature
- Integration of equity and knowledge pluralism in NbS design and evaluation
Written by Zoe Brown