Nature-based Solutions
The definition of Nature-based Solutions according to the EC:
“Solutions that are inspired and supported by nature, which are cost-effective, simultaneously provide environmental, social and economic benefits and help build resilience. Such solutions bring more, and more diverse, nature and natural features and processes into cities, landscapes and seascapes, through locally adapted, resource-efficient and systemic interventions.”
Over the past decade, mounting evidence has highlighted the potential of Nature-based Solutions or simply NBS to address critical environmental and societal challenges.
Through the protection, sustainable management and restoration of both natural and modified ecosystems, benefiting both biodiversity and human well-being., NbS are underpinned by benefits that flow from healthy ecosystems. They represent multipurpose, “no regret” solutions, targeting major challenges like adopting to climate change, disaster risk reduction, reducing emissions, improving air, food and water security, biodiversity loss and human health, and are critical to sustainable economic development.
Despite the proven benefits, less than 0.3% of current spending on urban infrastructure is going to NbS (World Economic Forum).To support wide roll-out of NbS the European Commission has already prepared several comprehensive reports, highlighting different aspects of NbS management – from utilizing participatory processes to state-of-play of financial measures. You can access those publications here.
But challenges apparently persist. It is vital to better quantify their benefits, and to better communicate them to decision-makers and practitioners at all levels to improve take-up.
CARDIMED will generate plethora of data on implementation of NbS, enabling regional and local authorities evidence-based decision making on their climate resilience journey.
We will develop tools, easy to use and intuitive, intended to regions and communities when selecting the actions, consulting the citizens. To highlight a few:
NbS Catalogue for local authorities with implementation guidelines, treatment efficiencies, operation and maintenance requirements, performance indicators and so on.
Data Storytelling and Augmented Reality app for communication with citizens, engaging them in co-creation process.
Management dashboards, for infrastructure operators, offering automated management and real-time control.
CARDIMED NbS CATALOGUE
The CARDIMED NbS catalogue is an innovative resource that advances the understanding and documentation of nature-based solutions (NbS), aiming to empower informed decision-making, foster collaboration, and inspire innovation and uptake in NbS projects across various contexts, especially in the Mediterranean region.
NbS Categories:
Technological units
Encompass environmentally friendly technologies, including water infiltration or treatment, thermal and acoustic insulation, and even food production. They are versatile and can be deployed across various scales, from ground-level installations to vertical spaces and rooftops.
Spatial units
Consist of the combination of diverse types of vegetation, including arboreal-dominant compositions or mixtures of different vegetation types, to create resilient, and for instance productive, spaces at ground-level where humans and nature can not only coexist but reconnect.
Soil interventions
Operate in soil ecosystems, utilising diverse techniques applied in natural ecosystems for restoration, and in agricultural lands for sustainable production. It encompasses bioengineering, soil amendments, and land management techniques aimed at enhancing soil quality by improving its physical, chemical, and biological characteristics.
Land use interventions
Include holistic and integrated approaches to land use management, primarily aimed at enhancing the resilience and sustainability of urban, peri-urban, and rural landscapes while preserving biodiversity.
Biodiversity interventions
Aim to foster the restoration, or conservation of resilient ecosystems, ensuring the enduring provision of ecosystem services crucial for humans, wildlife, and the environment, also reducing the impacts of human activities.
Aquatic interventions
Aim to restore aquatic ecosystems. It includes various fluvial bioengineering techniques applied at both the riverbed and riverbank levels. These efforts aim to enhance the resilience and capacity of aquatic ecosystems to support ecological processes and foster preservation of biodiversity.
