Overcoming Barriers and Fostering Adoption: Evaluating the Institutional Mainstreaming of Nature-Based Solutions in the Emilia-Romagna Region’s Socio-Ecological System

Abstract

International organizations like the EU and IUCN are advocating for nature-based solutions (NBSs) as green alternatives for climate change adaptation and mitigation, especially in disaster risk reduction and urban planning. The H2020 OPERANDUM project was designed to address the major hydro-meteorological risks (floods, droughts, landslides, storm surge, and coastal erosions) through the deployment and assessment of NBSs in different contexts and areas affected by specific hazards. Despite growing research and funding, NBSs are still in the early stages of mainstream adoption and face challenges in acceptance and dissemination. Although designed to benefit both social and ecological systems, they remain a niche area with low perceived effectiveness among technicians and decision-makers. Their uptake requires a paradigm shift that includes a change in cultural-cognitive institutions, a different and wider set of knowledge than traditional engineering (ecological, social), and an adaptive management approach, missing within the current governance system. Using a qualitative case study research method, this paper aims to identify barriers in mainstreaming NBSs for DRR (disaster risk reduction) in the Emilia-Romagna region—influenced not only by individual beliefs but also by variables tied to technical culture and local procedural norms—and emphasizing the importance of combining social and ecological indicators in socio-ecological system analysis.