Abstract
Nature-based solutions (NBSs) for risk reduction produce environmental effects that must be assessed to evaluate their performance. In a context of climate change and growing concern about the loss of biodiversity, indicators informing about ecosystem complexity, resilience and stability are required. NBS projects hardly ever include environmental monitoring programs and, at best, NBS performance is evaluated based on elementary indicators that provide poor information about ecosystem functions and services. Within the framework of the PHUSICOS (EU, H2020) project, a NBS approach is being applied to reduce the hydrometeorological risks (rock falls and snow avalanches) that threaten a transnational road and a very populated town in the Pyrenees range. In both cases, the planned actions are modifying soil and vegetation structure and functioning as well as the environmental services they provide. Here we present a set of soil and plant indicators designed to be included in the postoperation monitoring plan of both NBS projects. We provide a description and information about the range of values of every indicator measured in the study sites together with indications about analytical methods and sampling calendar. We discuss the trade-offs between monetary cost, expertise requirements and meaningfulness of the indicators.
Highlights
We propose the use of the fraction of labile C contained in soil microaggregates (0.53–2 μm diameter) as an indicator of the physical protection that soil provides to organic carbon [48]
They are important because they make it possible to evaluate the health of the soil and its capacity to carry out its ecological functions
The study of nature-based solutions has increased progressively since the beginning of the 2010s until 2020, from a few articles published in the first half of the decade to almost 200 in 2020 alone
Summary
Pilar Andrés 1, *, Enrique Doblas-Miranda 1,2 , Stefania Mattana 3 , Roberto Molowny-Horas 1 , Jordi Vayreda 1 , Moisès Guardiola 4 , Joan Pino 1,2 and Javier Gordillo 1. Battery of Soil and Plant Indicators of NBS Environmental Performance in the Context of Global Change
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