Leveraging Nature‐based Solutions for transformation: Reconnecting people and nature

E A Welden,Alexandre Chausson,Marina S Melanidis

doi:10.1002/pan3.10212

E A Welden, Alexandre Chausson + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10212

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Abstract

AbstractNature‐based Solutions (NbS) have rapidly been gaining traction across the research, policy and practice spheres, advocated as transformative actions to jointly address biodiversity loss and climate change. However, there are multiple, alternative ways to conceptualize NbS across those three spheres.To inform the NbS discourses in research, policy and practice, we critically reflect on the prevailing framing of NbS. Although the concept links environmental health to human well‐being, we argue that its current dominant framing reinforces a dichotomy between people and nature by highlighting one, external nature working for the benefit of society. For the NbS concept to support transformation, we believe it must embody a reframing of human–nature relationships towards regenerative relationships between humans and nature.To support the transformative aspirations of NbS, we propose a novelcore framingof NbS making explicit the co‐dependence of people and nature, which underpins human well‐being and environmental health. We highlight how such a framing can support a transformation through influencing beliefs and normative values, and second, through the communication and application of the NbS concept in research, policy and practice.We then elaborate on how such a framing is key to support inclusivity and collaboration between diverse research perspectives, policy objectives across scales and implementation practices to deliver just and successful NbS.A freePlain Language Summarycan be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

Highlights

Over the past 2 years, there has been a substantial amount of international support for Nature-based Solutions (NbS) from the UNDecade of Ecosystem Restoration to the World Economic Forum to the UK’s Green Recovery from COVID (DEFRA, 2020a; United Nations (UN), 2019; WEF, 2020)
The concept links environmental health to human well-being, we argue that its current dominant framing reinforces a dichotomy between people and nature by highlighting one, external nature working for the benefit of society
Given the positioning of NbS as vehicles for transformative change (e.g. IUCN, 2020), we explore the implications that framings of NbS hold for such change

Summary

Introduction

Over the past 2 years, there has been a substantial amount of international support for Nature-based Solutions (NbS) from the UNDecade of Ecosystem Restoration to the World Economic Forum to the UK’s Green Recovery from COVID (DEFRA, 2020a; United Nations (UN), 2019; WEF, 2020). NbS has been defined by IUCN 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’ (Cohen-Shacham et al, 2016). They encompass a broad range of actions, based on the ecosystem approach, which involve working with nature for societal benefits (Seddon et al, 2021). As clarified by Seddon et al (2021), these actions can be broadly classified into four broad categories—protection, restoration, management and creation This includes, for example, ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA), forest and landscape restoration (FLR), ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction (eco-DRR), agroforestry and locally managed marine areas (LMMAs). A consortium of research and conservation and development organizations have released four high-level guidelines providing overarching policy guardrails for successful and sustainable NbS (NBSI, 2020)

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