Nature-based Solutions: An Opportunity for Greater Impact

Clarifying Nature-based Solutions 

Why is there so much interest in nature-based solutions of recent, and what does the term mean? 

We should start by clarifying the meaning of nature-based solutions. At Gold Standard, we use the definition from the United Nations Environment Assembly1: 

“Actions to protect, conserve, restore, sustainably use and manage natural or modified terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems, which address social, economic and environmental challenges effectively and adaptively, while simultaneously providing human well-being, ecosystem services and resilience and biodiversity benefits”.  

Nature-based solutions (NbS) are increasingly being positioned as an approach to help deliver global climate and nature goals. A report published in 2022 on the role of nature-based solutions in reducing climate change and weather-related disasters, suggests that nature-based solutions could reduce the intensity of climate hazards by 26%, saving US$393 billion in losses and damages by 2050, whilst also providing climate mitigation benefits, biodiversity improvements, and contributing to societal goals on, for example, food and water security2. NbS features in Target 8 and Target 11 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, in reference to building nature’s resilience to climate change and in maintaining nature’s contribution to people.

And, 66% of Paris Agreement signatories include nature-based solutions as a method to achieve climate mitigation and adaptation. 

Thinking Beyond Climate Solutions 

But how do nature-based solutions differ from other projects that generate climate or biodiversity benefits, such as forestry or regenerative agriculture projects? 

Nature-based solutions address a broader range of societal challenges whilst also always delivering biodiversity and human wellbeing benefits. The focus of nature-based solutions on addressing multiple societal challenges requires an integrated, participatory approach. Nature-based solutions are not to be confused with natural climate solutions that are primarily focused on addressing climate mitigation as the main societal challenge to address.  

A nature-based solution project is based on a thorough assessment of the factors that drive societal challenges and biodiversity/ecosystem loss and should be collaboratively designed with local stakeholders to identify the best actions to address such factors. Stakeholders should be informed of the potential positive and negative impacts of the project, as well as possible trade-offs.

As a result, a key aspect of nature-based solutions is that they are designed to have multiple core benefits, and the interactions between multiple impacts are assessed.

In comparison, traditional climate solutions are typically designed to maximise a key impact outcome (climate mitigation) with selected co-benefits according to the preference of the project developer or investors.  

NbS incorporates multiple impacts which enhance the resilience, adaptability, and overall effectiveness of solutions – an integrated approach allowing for synergistic benefits that contribute to sustainability on a broader scale. The focus on multiple impacts as primary considerations underpins the definition of nature-based solutions. Below, is a list of the key features of nature-based solutions. 

• Projects should address one or more societal challenges, whilst also generating climate (adaptation or mitigation), human wellbeing, and biodiversity benefits.  
  
  As outlined in the UN definition above, nature-based solutions should address social, economic and environmental challenges as well as provide a range of benefits that include resilience and ecosystem services. If we translate this into the sustainable development goals (SDGs), Gold Standard suggests that projects should contribute to SDG14 or 15 (life on land or life in water, i.e., biodiversity), SDG13 (climate action, i.e., climate adaptation or mitigation), and one additional SDG, which should be linked to a particular societal challenge, for example SDG2 (zero hunger) or SDG8 (decent work and economic growth). The provision of multiple core benefits underpins the role of nature-based solutions as an integrated approach, that can limit potential trade-offs which may occur when projects are designed to maximise a single outcome or SDG. 
• The design of projects should use a participatory approach and require the collaborative design of project activities. 
  
  A participatory approach is one of the key features of nature-based solutions. Projects should work closely with stakeholders on the identification of the societal challenges to be addressed, co-design project activities, and work in close collaboration with stakeholders on project implementation and monitoring. This helps to ensure the project addresses the issues of most importance to project participants, while ensuring activities are appropriate to the local context and are more likely to be sustained. Enhanced stakeholder engagement will therefore help to increase the permanence of positive impacts beyond the lifetime of the project. 
• Projects should identify the agents, drivers and underlying causes of societal challenges and ecosystem loss and degradation.  
  
  Societal challenges and ecosystem loss and degradation, in combination with a complex set of social, economic, political, cultural, and technological developments, create the enabling environment for drivers of negative impact to emerge (i.e., underlying causes). To have a positive biodiversity and social impact and effectively address these challenges, projects must first identify the agents, drivers and underlying causes of these challenges and then contribute to minimising them. If projects do not address the these elements, negative impacts may continue to occur and positive biodiversity or social impacts generated by the project may be short-lived.   

Designing and Piloting New Tools 

As the term nature-based solution is increasingly applied to projects, there is the need for clear guidelines and a role for standards to recognise projects that are genuinely aligned with the principles listed above. To address this, Gold Standard is developing new tools to support project developers and corporates, including draft ‘Nature-based Solutions Labelling Requirements’ for project certification and labelling. These requirements will ensure that only holistic, community-centred approaches earn a Gold Standard ‘NbS label’, providing the clarity and recognition needed for projects to be trusted as truly impactful for nature and society.  

A two-year pilot phase of these draft requirements will take place from across a year period to provide a real-world test of the draft NbS Labelling Requirements. Accommodating up to six pilot projects, the insights gained from the pilot programme will be used to refine the NbS Labelling Requirements before submitting a final version for formal review and approval under Gold Standard for the Global Goals. Parties interested in participating can find out more information on the Terms of Reference.  

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