Implementing Nature-Based Solutions Around the Globe, to Achieve Multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals
Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are “actions to protect, manage and restore natural or modified ecosystems, which address societal challenges, effectively and adaptively, providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits”. This definition for NbS and their 8 related principles are the basis for developing the Global Standard for NbS – a robust operaytional framework, to help people and organisations design, implement, assess, adapt and improve NbS interventions all around the globe. The Global Standard for NbS was launched in 2020, it has 8 criteria and 28 indicators that cover the most important aspects to consider for strong NbS interventions, and provides a self-assessment tool that can be implemented by users to assess a planned, ongoing or completed intervention.
The IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management has initiated a project in early 2022, to identify, assess and learn from strong NbS interventions. 21 case studies were carefully selected in different regions around the globe, and they were assessed with the Global Standard’s Self-Assessment Tool. The objectives of this initiative were to: a) Explore in detail how the IUCN Global Standard for NbS is implemented in diverse contexts, and for NbS interventions aiming at addressing various types of societal challenges; b) Collect feedback from practitioners, that will help support the upcoming review process of the NbS Global Standard; and c) Learn from NbS interventions and showcase good NbS practice all around the globe, through these case studies.
During this session, we will present and discuss several of these case studies. We will learn from NbS interventions that were successfully planned and implemented in different geographic, cultural and ecological contexts, and we will focus on how they address multiple societal challenges and can help achieve different types of UN Sustainable Development Goals.
We will first present NbS and the Global Standard for NbS, then we will have several case studies presentations, and we will leave some time for a Questions & Answers.