Nature-based solutions: Going back to our roots to solve modern-day challenges

Gurmehr Marwah

As we enter possibly the most definitive decade for climate and biodiversity, it becomes critical to employ a combination of cross-sectoral approaches to solve the complex socio-environmental challenges we face today.

At the forefront of these approaches is nature. Mankind has for centuries exploited nature, building cities and industries at the cost of environment. For years, governments and private companies have invested in heavily engineered solutions to counter environmental challenges which have not only failed in the long term in many cases but have also destroyed livelihoods of local communities.

As the demand from a growing world population increases, we must seek to meet it without intensifying our negative impact on the planet. In the midst of the global pandemic of covid-19, it is vital for governments, companies and society to incorporate nature into the recovery strategies. We must not discard environmental and sustainability principles in our aim for economic revitalisation. Now, more than ever, we must work with nature, rather than against it.

The good news: things are changing. In recent years, awareness has risen rapidly on the importance of integrating nature in our approaches. The theme for World Environment Day (June 5) this year is ‘Time for Nature’, highlighting the crucial role of nature in our lives. The theme for Fifth Session of the UN Environment Assembly in 2021 is “Strengthening Actions for Nature to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals”. This is a momentous step that will propel nature-based solutions (NBS) into the spotlight globally and attract major investment.

What are nature-based solutions

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) defines NBS as “actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural or modified ecosystems that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits.”

Why do we need NBS

Today, we are facing an environmental crisis which has far-reaching consequences for our society, economy, biodiversity, health and our future generations. Loss of ecosystems, land, air and water pollution, increased risk of disasters all adversely affect our ability to adapt to climate change. NBS is a holistic, umbrella concept that breaks down silos to address a wide range of global issues. These include climate change, disaster risk, food insecurity, gender inequality, human health, water insecurity, desertification and land degradation, biodiversity crisis, energy, poverty, and economic and social development.

Solutions for nature and through nature provide an opportunity to deliver multiple benefits simultaneously. They have the capacity to address all 17 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Nature-based solutions are finding their place in flood control, food production, carbon capture and storage, pollination, medicine, disease prevention, nutrient cycling, soil formation, air filtration, water regulation and purification, waste minimisation and climate regulation. According to a 2019 report from the Food and Land Use Coalition (FALU), by 2030 NBS could account for as much as one-third of the solutions to climate change. NBS provides a platform to rethink and reframe our social, developmental and environmental priorities to integrate nature into our way of thinking and evolving remedies.

Different types of NBS

NBS can be categorised into five broad categories: i) ecosystem restoration approaches, ii) issue-specific ecosystem-related, iii) infrastructure-related, iv) ecosystem-based management; v) and ecosystem protection approaches.

These approaches include sustainable agriculture, green infrastructure, sustainable finance, governance and law, ecological restoration, and sustainable land-use management among others. Optimally, these approaches should be used in an integrated manner so as to diversify the value obtained. For example, utilising green infrastructure (such as green roofs, street trees, or green drainage basins) in urban settings can improve air quality, lower temperatures leading to reduced cooling requirements, support wastewater treatment, reduce water runoff, improve wellbeing and increase biodiversity.

Globally, there have been several success stories of NBS. One of the success stories from India that was recognised in the UN World Water Development Report 2018 highlights the efforts of the NGO Tarun Bharat Sangh in Rajasthan when it was facing one of the worst droughts in its history in 1985-86. The NGO supported local communities led by women to undertake landscape-scale restoration of local water cycles and water resources. The outcomes have been significant. For instance, groundwater levels rose by an estimated six metres; water was restored to 1,000 villages across the state; five rivers that used to run dry after the annual monsoon season are now flowing again and fisheries has revived; productive cropland increased from 20 per cent to 80 per cent of the catchment; forest cover grew by 33 per cent, and the biodiversity improved. Hence, it is evident that natural processes have immense potential to achieve our objective of sustainability in all spheres of life.

In our fast-paced world, we are constantly seeking quick fixes to our problems. However, it is important for us to remember that the challenges we face today were not created overnight, and therefore it is irrational to expect to solve them overnight.

We have spent centuries destroying the environment, and if we are to look towards nature to provide us solutions then we must give it a real chance. While our technology may provide us with easy (and costly) fixes in the short term, it has been proven multiple times that in the longer run, nature is our best bet. Nature-based solutions provide an opportunity for consolidation of global efforts maximising impact by bringing in convergence across sectors.

Nature-based solutions are the means for us to incorporate nature into how we think, how we live and into our everyday choices. Therefore, it is imperative for governments and NGOs to recognise the centrality of NBS and make them a vital part of strategies for tackling climate change.

(Gurmehr has recently completed her Master’s degree in Environmental Conservation from University College London.)