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Coastal wetlands mitigate storm flooding and associated costs in estuaries
Fairchild et al. 2021 A recent study published in Environmental Research Letters has found that estuary wetlands such as saltmarshes reduce flooding more than previously thought. The authors created numerical hydrodynamic models of eight Welsh estuaries to simulate storms of varying intensity and coupling flood predictions to damage valuation. They found that in all cases […] -
The IUCN World Conservation Congress approaches
The IUCN World Conservation Congress, running 3-11 September 2021 both in-person in Marseille, France, and online, is where the world comes together to set priorities and drive conservation and sustainable development action. IUCN’s 1400+ government, civil society and indigenous peoples’ Member organisations vote on major issues, action which guides humanity’s relationship with our planet for […] -
COP26 Universities Network briefing: net-zero solutions and research priorities for the 2020s
A new briefing paper published by the COP26 Universities Network sets out the key net-zero solutions and policy actions that can be implemented now, as well as the priority areas for research to focus on during the 2020s in order to achieve the required emissions reductions for net zero. Achieving the UK’s net-zero target by […] -
Natural Climate Solutions Alliance release Carbon Credits corporate guidance
A new guide published by the Natural Climate Solutions Alliance (NCS Alliance), Natural Climate Solutions for Corporates, provides direction on the use of Natural Climate Solutions (NCS) carbon credits as part of a climate strategy to help corporates meet their climate commitments and steer a pathway towards net zero, whilst also channelling much needed investment […] -
Biodiversity needs every tool in the box: use OECMs
Gurney et al. 2021 A recent comment piece in Nature argues that Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) provide a mechanism to support effective biodiversity conservation, while protecting the rights and livelihoods of local & Indigenous communities. OECMs are designated areas that are achieving the effective in-situ conservation of biodiversity outside of protected areas. The […] -
Integrating Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge and rights into global biodiversity targets
A recent IIED blog by Krystyna Swiderska, principal researcher in the IIED Natural Resources research group, outlines recent research that highlights the need for traditional knowledge and the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLC) to be integrated across all post-2020 biodiversity targets. The majority of the earth’s biodiversity is located in a quarter […] -
UNEP Report on Nature-based Solutions for Cities
A recent UNEP report ‘Smart, Sustainable and Resilient cities: the Power of Nature-based Solutions’, produced in collaboration with the Italian Presidency of the G20, investigates the potential of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) to help build smart, sustainable and resilient cities. The report offers an overview of the best practices of NbS in cities around the world, […] -
NbS Bangladesh explores floating agriculture, NbS and the Blue Economy
Dr Haseeb Irfanullah, a member of the NbS Bangladesh team, has explored Nature-based Solutions, the Blue Economy, and the future of floating agriculture under climate change in recent news articles in the Daily Star, the largest circulating daily English-language newspaper in Bangladesh: Can we be bold enough and integrate Nature-based Solutions into Blue Economy? – […] -
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report affirms need for Net Zero
The much anticipated global climate science report Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science by Working Group I of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has been released. The report brings together the latest advances in climate science, combining multiple lines of evidence from paleoclimate, observations, process understanding, and global and regional climate simulations. As the […] -
Revealing the widespread potential of forests to increase low level cloud cover
Duveiller et al. 2021 A recent study published in Nature Communications presents the first global assessment of forest restoration via satellite observations. As forests are a key carbon sink due to their capacity to sequester carbon, they play a crucial role in efforts to mitigate climate change. Protection and restoration of forested areas is therefore […] -
Nature Conservancy Biodiversity Action Guide released
A new Biodiversity Action Guide has been released by The Nature Conservancy, containing case studies, tools and resources to aid nations in realising their commitments under the Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the UN Sustainable Development Goals and other global agreements. The guide warns that this is the last […] -
Investing in Nature for Development
We need to put the protection and restoration of nature at the heart of the healing and recovery of human society from the ravages of the pandemic -
Using ecosystem services to measure the degree to which a solution is nature-based
White et al. 2021 A recent study in Ecosystem Services highlights the need to better define the relative contribution of nature to Nature-based Solutions (NbS), which varies widely given that the concept covers the intersection of ecology, engineering, sociology and economics. NbS can play a role in resilience and adaption to many aspects of current […] -
World Bank report on the Economic Case for Nature
A new Economic Case for Nature report has been released by the World Bank, presenting a ‘Global Earth-Economy Model to Assess Development Policy Pathways’. The first of its kind, the global integrated ecosystem-economy modelling exercise assesses economic policy responses to the global biodiversity crisis. The report highlights the reliance of economies on nature, with the […] -
New Oxfam report warns of reforestation risks for cropland in low-income countries
A new briefing paper by Oxfam, Tightening the Net: Net zero climate targets – implications for land and food equity, has warned that current net zero climate targets risk reliance on large areas of land in low-income countries to capture carbon emissions, and therefore allowing the avoidance of emissions reductions by the biggest emitters of […] -
New NbS Case Study Report from BirdLife International Partnership
A new case study brochure released by BirdLife International Partnership showcases examples of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) being delivered around the world and across a range of ecosystems, including mangroves, coasts, forests, marshes and wetlands. BirdLife International is the world’s largest nature conservation partnership, with 115 national NGO partners. To ensure NbS deliver positive outcomes for […] -
Nature-based Solutions in Latin America and the Caribbean
A new Nature-based Solutions (NbS) Valuation Report by Northeastern University and UNDP on climate-informed cost-benefit analysis in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region has recently been released. Over the last decade, UNDP has worked with countries to deploy NbS as an approach to meeting the multiple interconnected challenges of climate change disruption to local […] -
NbSI director discusses Nature-based Solutions for disaster risk reduction
NbSI Director Nathalie Seddon recently joined Mami Mizutori, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), and Dr. Krishna S. Vatsu, member of India’s National Disaster Management Authority, to discuss the importance of nature-based solutions for disaster and climate resilience. Part of the ‘conversation with Mami’ podcast series, the discussion supported […] -
A trade-off between plant and soil carbon storage under elevated CO2
Terrer et al. 2021 A recent study in Nature revealed that there’s a push and pull between sequestering of carbon dioxide by plants and soil in response to greenhouse gas emissions. Such a trade-off may mean that current climate models overestimate the removal of atmospheric CO₂ by forests. By analysing over 100 experiments that exposed […] -
Framing “nature-based” solutions to climate change
Osaka et al. 2021 This paper explores the framing, definitions, and context of “nature-based” or “natural” solutions in the protection, conservation, restoration, management, enhancement, or imitation of natural ecosystems, and in both mitigating and adapting to climate change. The framing of particular solutions as “natural” or “unnatural” has far-reaching implications for climate policy, but has […] -
Climate Action Network UK “Nature-based Solutions in Action” report released
The new Bond Nature-based Solutions (NbS) report “Nature-based Solutions in Action: Lessons from the Frontline. Harnessing nature to address the triple emergency of poverty, climate change, and biodiversity loss”, from the Climate Action Network UK (CAN-UK) Nature-based Solutions Working Group, launched on 27 July 2021. The report highlights successful best-practice examples of NbS in different […] -
New Community Forest in the North East of England
A new Community Forest in the North East of England has been announced by Defra, England Community Forests and local councils, to bring people closer to nature in the region. The initiative will bring together six local authorities – including Newcastle City Countil, Durham County Council, Gateshead Council, North and South Tyneside Council, and Sunderland City Council […] -
New £12.5m pilot programme on NbS for Climate Change at the Landscape Scale in the UK
A new Defra – BEIS project on Nature-based Solutions for Climate Change at the Landscape Scale has been announced, supported by the UK Treasury’s Shared Outcomes Fund and led by Natural England, the Environment Agency, the Forestry Commission and RBG Kew. Natural England will manage the project, including identifying the pilot study areas, establishing relationships […] -
New biodiversity algorithm risks devaluing valuable wildlife habitat
A recent Guardian article has outlined the warnings from academics and conservationists that the biodiversity net gain (BNG) metric 3.0, recently published by Natural England, must be urgently improved to avoid penalising rewilding and letting valuable wildlife habitat be classed as ‘degraded’ land. The BNG 3.0 metric outlines how new roads, houses and other building […] -
IUCN launches Nature-based Solutions professional certificate
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is launching its first professional certificate in Nature-based Solutions. This programme will provide individuals with IUCN-certified credentials, covering the necessary skills and knowledge to assess and start designing Nature-based Solutions. As knowledge and adoption of NbS continues to gain momentum around the world, efforts are needed […]