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Cocoa Agroforestry in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone’s tropical rainforest is under threat from intensive agriculture, mining, logging and slash and burn agriculture for cocoa plantations. One major effort to prevent this is the introduction of cocoa agroforestry so that cocoa can be produced sustainably on the same land for many years, diminishing the need for further deforestation. This project was […] -
Push-pull biological control in Kenya
Changes in the climate drive shifts in the distribution and numbers of insects, plants and pathogens that are pests for agriculture. The ‘push-pull’ system has been widely implemented in Kenya to reduce loss of maize to pests, leading to increase in yields and net income, and concurrent reduction in the incidence of poverty. Napier grass […] -
Montane Ecosystem-based Adaptation in Uganda
Near the Mount Elgon National Park in 2014-15, about 600 households received training in Ecosystem-based Adaptation measures to implement themselves. A number of different approaches were used, notably creation of trenches, ridges and dams to control the flow of water, and establishment of grass strips and planting of trees both within and outside of farms. […] -
Salt marshes in the Dutch Wadden Sea
The Dutch coast is protected from flooding by long dikes – earthen embakments along the shore that act as barriers to waves. Saltmarsh has been constructed on the seaward side of 25km of dike. To cope with sea level rise and increased frequency and severity of storms, the flood defence must be enhanced. Models of […] -
Oyster reefs in Bangladesh and the Gulf of Mexico
Oyster reefs provide a barrier to waves, protecting coasts from the impact of storms and reducing erosion and flooding. However, about 85% of natural oyster reefs have been lost due to harvesting by humans. Artificial breakwater reefs can be made by placing bags of loose shells on the seabed, or by allowing concrete rings to […] -
Mangroves protected communities from Cyclone Bulbul
Evidence is emerging that the Sundarbans Mangrove Forest protected communities in India and Bangladesh from some of the worst impacts of Cyclone Bulbul on November 9th 2019. The forest is reported to have reduced wind speed by around 20 kilometres an hour and thereby protected the southern Bengal region from the fury of the storm. […] -
Bloomberg: Planting trees isn’t a simple solution to climate change
After the launch last week of the World Economic Forum’s Trillion Trees Platform, Nat Seddon talks to Bloomberg about the importance of planting the right species in the right places, and of ensuring that tree-planting doesn’t come at the cost of protecting and restoring intact ecosystems or distract from the need to keep fossil fuels […] -
Refugee camp gardens in Iraq
Running garden competitions for residents of refugee camps in northern Iraq proved to be an effective way to help reconnect people with their natural surroundings and communities. Participants were able to obtain plants from a local nursery and were given advice on how to safely recycle grey water for nurturing plants. The camp was transformed […] -
Committee on Climate Change: 22% of UK farmland must be used to tackle climate change
The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has published a new report on how UK land use must change in order to meet the government’s net-zero emissions target. A key recommendation was for 22% of UK agricultural land to be converted into habitats designed for carbon sequestration. This will include restoration of at least 50% of […] -
Understanding the value and limits of nature-based solutions to climate change and other global challenges
Understanding the value and limits of Nature-based Solutions to climate change and other global challenges. We discuss how NbS can contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation, and in what ways NbS is limited in a warming world. We examine NbS for adaptation in the context of the vulnerability framework, and look at how the […] -
10 Days. 100 Climate Change Ideas.
We’re excited to announce that the NbSI will be featured in Apolitical’s scheme: ‘Climate Innovation. 10 Days. 100 Ideas.’ Sign up now and get 100 climate policy ideas for 10 days from 10th Feb to take with you into the next decade. It features articles, quizzes, case studies, influential people to follow and more. Register for […] -
Cécile Giradin explains NbS at Oxford Women in Science
Just 35% of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) students in higher education in the UK are women. Although the physical sciences (biology, chemistry, physics) are less gender-biased than the other STEM subjects, the percentage of women still sits at just 37%. At the Women in STEM event in Oxford, Cécile took the opportunity to […] -
NbS at the World Economic Forum
The WEF calls for a shift towards “nature-positive economy”….but will it own the role of big business in the climate and nature crisis and ensure the radical economic transformation needed? This week 3000 leaders from business, politics and science are gathered at the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, to discuss and […] -
WEF Global Risks Report top 5 risks involve climate & nature
The World Economic Forum has published the Global Risks Report 2020 which identifies the top global risks (uncertain events that if they occur would have significant negative effects on society within the next 10 years). The risks were ranked by completion of surveys by 1047 experts in economics (25%), technology (13%), geopolitics (12%), environment (9%) […] -
Sir David Attenborough warns that ‘the moment of crisis has come’
The well-loved and highly esteemed naturalist and TV-presenter, Sir David, has publicly warned in a BBC interview that we have reached ‘the moment of crisis’ with respect to climate change. He explained that we do understand what steps we need to take to combat climate change, but simply lack the political will and that ‘every […] -
Net zero poster travels to Oxford, New York and Bangladesh
In the first of a series of posters and murals on nature and climate change, NbSI Technical Director, Cécile Girardin, worked with Christiana Figueres and collaborator Lisa Curtis to create the #netzeroposter, based on an inspiring Oxford Martin School talk by Christiana Figueres. It inspired much discussion on NbS at conferences in Oxford, New York, and […] -
Climate Science social media & app
For easily-digestible, referenced information on all aspects of climate change and its solutions, follow Climate Science on Instagram or Facebook. Isabel Key, Research Assistant and Coordinator at the NbSI, co-founded Climate Science in July. It has now grown to a team of 30 volunteer writers, reviewers, artists and programmers developing a solution-focussed educational app. Sign […] -
Stephen Woroniecki joins team
Stephen Woroniecki joins as a new Research Associate, having just completed a PhD based at Lund University on ecosystem-based adaptation in Sri Lanka. He is helping to convene the adaptation session at the NbS conference and will be helping with NbS evidence syntheses. -
Bangladesh NbS Workshop co-hosted with ICCCAD
In mid-October, together with the International Institute for Climate Change and Development, we hosted a 2-day NbS workshop in Bangladesh as an initial step for building a community of practice. Approximately 50 stakeholders from government institutions, NGOs, universities, research organizations, think tanks, banks and businesses participated. In a series of talks and structured discussions, we […] -
NbS in a Changing Climate Conference 2020
From 7 – 9 July 2020,we are hosting a conference on NbS in a Changing Climate. In 12 sessions over three full days, we will discuss the value and limits of working with nature to meet societal goals in a warming world. We will highlight the state of the evidence for the social, ecological and […] -
Rise in climate change awareness
Several events in 2019 demonstrated increased public awareness and understanding of the importance of climate change. Fridays for Future movement has galvanized millions of people protesting across 150 countries, Greta Thunberg has become a household name, and the environment became a major topic of influence for people voting in the UK general election. Carbon offsetting […] -
Call to return half of UK farmland to nature
There are signs that the UK government is shifting in the direction of reducing the extent of farmland, and returning swathes of land to nature. Notably, Professor Sir Ian Boyd, former chief scientific advisor to the UK government, has advised that half of the nation’s farmland should be converted into natural habitats. This is estimated […] -
Tree planting on the agenda
Late 2019 saw a surge of interest in tree planting. For example, during the December election campaign in the UK, political parties competed over how many trees they would plant if they were elected. Labour pledged to plant 2 billion trees by 2040; if extended to 2050 this would cover 25% of total land area […] -
COP25, Madrid
For two weeks in December, delegates from across the world met in Madrid for the 25th Conference of the Parties (COP25). Despite being set against a backdrop of growing public demand for immediate climate action, this meeting saw disappointing progress. Only 80 nations committed to increasing ambition in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) i.e. commitments […] -
UK Government Environment Bill
In October 2019, the UK Government introduced a landmark Environment Bill, which will come into action when the country leaves the European Union. It includes measures to improve air and water quality, reduce plastic pollution, and restore natural habitats. A new Office for Environmental Protection will be established, which will ensure that environmental standards are […]