Working with nature for people and the planet Recording

Wednesday, 16th November 2022

What are nature-based solutions all about? Are they only for high-income countries or can they work in low-income countries? Why should we think about them for climate change solutions? In this session we delve into the details about nature-based solutions and explore these questions. The evidence suggests that nature-based solutions can benefit people and biodiversity and be an important strategy in taking climate action but, to realise their potential, they need to be planned and implemented inclusively using robust evidence. 

This event will present the findings from the latest assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and briefly discuss what nature-based solutions are and provide an overview of the evidence for nature-based solutions as both adaptation and mitigation strategies. It will also present some of the risks associated with poorly designed or poorly implemented nature-based solutions, for example planting trees in areas which are not naturally forested, such as savannas and some peatlands. Examples of nature-based solutions in both human-managed and natural systems will be given, such as mangrove restoration, natural forest regeneration, agroecological farming and urban green spaces. 

We will highlight the multiple benefits that nature-based solutions can provide alongside adaptation and mitigation, including supporting biodiversity, human health, livelihoods and food security.  We will also discuss examples of intended nature-based solutions actions which have caused adverse impacts, including maladaptation. We will then consider the factors that promote effective nature-based solutions and the barriers to it, together with the bottlenecks to widespread implementation of nature-based solutions with an example of native reforestation.