Abstract
The idea of nature providing solutions to societal challenges is relatively easy to understand by the layperson. Nature-based solutions (NBS) against landslides and erosion mostly comprise plant-based interventions in which the reinforcement of slopes provided by vegetation plays a crucial role in natural hazard prevention and mitigation, and in the provision of multiple socio-ecological benefits. However, the full potential of NBS against landslides and erosion is not realised yet because a strong evidence base on their multi-functional performance is lacking, hindering the operational rigour of NBS practice and science. This knowledge gap can be addressed through the definition of repositories of key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics, which should stem from holistic frameworks facilitating the multi-functional assessment of NBS. Herein, we propose the ‘rocket framework’ to promote the uptake of NBS against landslides and erosion through the provision of a comprehensive set of indicators which, through their appropriate selection and measurement, can contribute to build a robust evidence base on NBS performance. The ‘rocket framework’ is holistic, reproducible, dynamic, versatile, and flexible in helping define metrics for NBS actions against landslides and erosion along the NBS project timeline. The framework, resultant from an iterative research approach applied in a real-world environment, follows a hierarchical approach to deal with multiple scales and environmental contexts, and to integrate environmental, eco-engineering, and socio-ecological domains, thus establishing a balance between monitoring the engineering performance of NBS actions against landslides and erosion, and the wider provision of ecosystem functions and services. Using a case study, and following the principles of credibility, salience, legitimacy, and feasibility, we illustrate herein how the ‘rocket framework’ can be effectively employed to define a repository with over 40 performance indicators for monitoring NBS against landslides and erosion, and with over 60 metrics for establishing the context and baseline upon which the NBS are built and encourage their reproduction and upscaling.
Highlights
Nature-based Solutions (NBS) can be defined as “actions to protect, sustainably manage and restore natural and modified ecosystems that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits” (Cohen-Shacham et al, 2016)
To assess the economic performance of a Nature-based solutions (NBS) action against landslides and erosion, we identified financial key performance indicators (KPIs) feeding into cost-benefit analyses (e.g., Vicarelli et al, 2016), comparing, for example, whether the life cycle costs of a NBS action would be lower than those of a traditional ‘grey’ solution because of the absence of structural concrete and steel, the use of natural materials, lower maintenance costs and the carbon footprint offset of the construction provided by the used vegetation
The latter strives to facilitate the monitoring process of NBS performance over time with multi-functional KPIs (Figures 2, 3; Table 1 and Supplementary Material) together with context, selection and upscaling metrics and indicators (Supplementary Material), which were identified through a process of system analysis stimulated by the framework
Summary
We propose a novel framework helping to identify holistic sets of metrics and KPIs along the timeline of NBS project, providing a platform for monitoring the multi-functional performance of NBS against specific hydrometeorological hazards (HMHs) - i.e., landslides and erosion, in a particular socio-ecological context (Section 3). The research team has previously published on this iterative approach, advocating for its ability to enable decision-making, widen the evidence base for NBS design and management, and promote mediation and collaboration (Mickovski and Thomson, 2018) These benefits are critical outcomes in a project striving for co-creation, where the participation of local and regional stakeholders is vital to enhance the design and installation of NBS through their contextual knowledge and ensuring their acceptance of research that addresses landslides and erosion while providing socio-economical co-benefits (Anderson and Renaud, 2021). Studies have shown that risk is often a matter of perception, i.e. people who are TABLE 1 | Indicators repository originating from the ‘rocket framework’ (Figures 2, 3) to monitor the performance of plant-based NBS against landslides and erosion at the monitoring stage (M)
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