Our planet is facing a triple global challenge of biodiversity loss, climate change and equitable development. Around a million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction – more than ever before in human history. And the climate emergency is exposing millions of people to extreme heat waves, threatening food and water supplies, and could leave a billion people affected by sea-level rise within decades, among several other impacts. At the same time, half of the world’s GDP depends on the efficient and sustainable use of natural assets and its services in sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, forestry and tourism.
Nature-based solutions are an opportunity to address these problems and ensure a nature positive future by providing essential services such as carbon storage, ensuring food and water supplies and buffering against the impacts of a warming world.
Do nature-based solutions help fight climate change?
Estimates suggest that nature-based solutions can provide 37% of the mitigation needed until 2030 to achieve the targets of the Paris Agreement. How can this be done? If you plant trees, they’re going to soak up carbon. For example, restoring native forest at the margins of the river to avoid landslides can also act as a carbon sink. Climate-smart agriculture is another example that enables farmers to retain more carbon in their fields as they produce crops. Decreasing deforestation is another way to benefit from nature-based solutions – for example, by paying farmers not to cut down the forest preserves ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, provision of clean drinking water, and reduction of river sedimentation downstream.
Nature-based solutions also play a key role in climate change adaptation and building resilience in landscapes and communities. They are a cost-effective way of addressing climate change while also addressing biodiversity and land degradation. You can address several problems at once.
Nature-based solutions harness the power of nature to boost natural ecosystems, biodiversity and human well-being to address major societal issues, including climate change. These solutions cover a broad range of actions to protect, restore or sustainably manage landscapes, seascapes, watersheds and urban areas so they can tackle challenges such as food and water security, climate change, disaster risks and human health. Examples include restoring wetlands to buffer local communities from flood waters, or conserving mangrove forests that provide nurseries for fish and protect nearby homes against storm damage. From protecting salt marshes to restoring forest habitats, nature-based solutions are already in operation across the world.
Indigenous people and local communities have used nature-based solutions for milenia. It is crucial that all solutions are people-centered, led by communities and draw from traditional and local knowledge. Nature-based solutions must be inclusive, transparent, developed with respect to land rights and respect to local people’s views and the benefits should be equally distributed.
Estimates suggest that nature-based solutions can provide 37% of the mitigation needed until 2030 to achieve the targets of the Paris Agreement.
Challenges nature-based solutions can help solve
- Climate change adaptation & disaster risk reduction: Helping people and nature adapt to a warming world by preventing new and reducing existing climate hazards and strengthening resilience to future risks.
- Human health: Benefiting mental and physical wellbeing and reducing the transfer of diseases caused by the destruction of habitats or the consumption and commercialization of wildlife.
- Food security: Ensuring people have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.
- Water security: Providing sustainable access to adequate, quality water to sustain livelihoods, human well-being, development, protect against disasters and preserve ecosystems.
- Climate change mitigation: Nature plays an important role in the global climate system. When operating optimally, nature-based solutions can reduce the need to use untested methods to capture and store carbon.