Nature-based solutions for urban development and tourism

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine how nature-based solutions (NBS) are being used in city areas to improve environmental conditions and increase tourism. This research examines the drivers behind, and impacts of, the application of NBS in city redevelopment projects for tourism. NBS is a term that refers to the use of flora and fauna ecosystems as an approach to resolve problems faced by society. Design/methodology/approach: An interdisciplinary research methodology has been developed to examine the relationship between city NBS and tourism; the methods include a literature review of contemporary practice, field observations and thematic textual analysis from digital archives. The research methodology uses a combined empirical and desk-based analysis of five case studies cites. Findings: NBS, as part of city redevelopment projects, is now a strategic aim of many cities globally to re-brand, re-vision and re-orientate themselves to be more hospitable, liveable and attractive to tourists and visitors. Practical implications: City redevelopment projects are incorporating NBS to address climate change as well as local environmental issues such as disaster resilience whilst simultaneously delivering social and economic benefits. Social implications: The research reveals that NBS can deliver benefits to human wellbeing, tourism, economic vitality as well as more sustainable models of urban development. Originality/value: The research reveals for the first time how NBS is being used as a driver for increasing tourism globally. The research is highly original as it examines a new topic in tourism studies, the role of NBS in relation to city tourism

Towards an\u2028 EU research and innovation policy agenda for nature-based solutions & re-naturing cities. Final report of the Horizon 2020 expert group on nature-based solutions and re-naturing cities.

1. Nature-based solutions harness the power and sophistication of nature to turn environmental, social and economic challenges into innovation opportunities. They can address a variety of societal challenges in sustainable ways, with the potential to contribute to green growth, 'future-proofing' society, fostering citizen well-being, providing business opportunities and positioning Europe as a leader in world markets. \u2028 2. Nature-based solutions are actions which are inspired by, supported by or copied from nature. They have tremendous potential to be energy and resource-efficient and resilient to change, but to be successful they must be adapted to local conditions. \u2028 3. Many nature-based solutions result in multiple co-benefits for health, the economy, society and the environment, and thus they can represent more efficient and cost-effective solutions than more traditional approaches. \u2028 4. An EU Research & Innovation (R&I) agenda on nature-based solutions will enable Europe to become a world leader both in R&I and in the growing market for nature-based solutions. For this, the evidence base for the effectiveness of nature-based solutions needs to be developed and then used to implement solutions. Both need to be done in conjunction with stakeholders. The potential for transferability and upscaling of solutions also requires further investigation. There is also a need to develop a systemic approach that combines technical, business, finance, governance, regulatory and social innovation. \u2028 5. Four principal goals have been identified that can be addressed by nature-based solutions: �� Enhancing sustainable urbanisation through nature-based solutions can stimulate economic growth as well as improving the environment, making cities more attractive, and enhancing human well-being. \u2028 �� Restoring degraded ecosystems using nature-based solutions can improve the resilience of ecosystems, enabling them to deliver vital ecosystem services and also to meet other societal challenges. \u2028 �� Developing climate change adaptation and mitigation using nature-based solutions can provide more resilient responses and enhance the storage of carbon. \u2028 �� Improving risk management and resilience using nature-based solutions can lead to greater benefits than conventional methods and offer synergies in reducing multiple risks. \u2028 6. Based on the four goals, seven nature-based solutions for R&I actions are recommended to be taken forward by the European Commission and Member States: �� Urban regeneration through nature-based solutions \u2028 �� Nature-based solutions for improving well-being in urban areas \u2028 �� Establishing nature-based solutions for coastal resilience \u2028 �� Multi-functional nature-based watershed management and ecosystem restoration \u2028 �� Nature-based solutions for increasing the sustainability of the use of matter and energy \u2028 �� Nature-based solutions for enhancing the insurance value of ecosystems \u2028 �� Increasing carbon sequestration through nature-based solutions \u2028This report was produced by the Horizon 2020 Expert Group on 'Nature-Based Solutions and Re- Naturing Cities', informed by the findings of an e-consultation and a stakeholder workshop. \u202

Nature-Based Solutions for Cities

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are increasingly being adopted to address climate change, health, and urban sustainability, yet ensuring they are effective and inclusive remains a challenge. Addressing these challenges through chapters by leading experts in both global south and north contexts, this forward-looking book advances the science of NBS in cities and discusses the frontiers for next-generation urban NBS

Nature-Based Solutions for Coastal Resilience

Rivers & Coast is a periodic publication of the Center for Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute of Marine Science. The goal of Rivers & Coast is to keep readers well informed of current scientific understanding behind key environmental issues related to watershed rivers and coastal ecosystems of the Chesapeake Bay

Water Finance and Nature-based solutions

This rapid review synthesises evidence on the innovations for water finance that could be applied to mainstream and expand Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in developing countries. This review also highlights some obstacles, opportunities and potential synergies pertaining to the water finance and NbS. NbS for water security can address a number of challenges simultaneously and deliver co-benefits. NbS approaches for water security include source water protection, watershed management, sustainable drainage systems, and wetlands restoration and construction. By improving the timing, location, reliability and quality of water, NbS can improve water supply and quality, and contribute to disaster risk reduction. Co-benefits include improvements to human health, livelihoods and biodiversity and increasing climate change adaptation and resilience. NbS generally are growing in prominence on the policy agenda, and NbS can also support greening the recovery following Covid-19. However, limited access to finance is a key barrier for scaling up implementation of NbS for water security. Whilst investment in NbS for water security is growing, it is still dwarfed by the amounts invested in grey infrastructure. Increasing investment in NbS will involve tackling the challenges they pose in terms of revenue streams and risks, which affect investor confidence. Investors can include private companies, private finance (e.g. commercial banks), and institutional investors (e.g. pension funds). Institutional investors include both domestic and international, with some international institutional investors having guidelines or rules around green investments. There are a number of emerging funding models and financial mechanisms for water projects that could increase the uptake of NbS. This report highlights a small number of financial mechanisms including: Blended finance approaches, Green bonds and climate bonds, Water Funds, and Climate Finance

Nature-based solutions and mental health

This chapter demonstrates the mental health benefits of nature-based solutions in cities. First, factors that determine urban mental health and adverse health effects of environmental stressors in cities are explained. Second, it is demonstrated that green spaces as nature-based solutions for many societal challenges provide co-benefits for mental health by reducing these stressors. It is further discussed how nature-based solutions may target supporting mental health by providing resources for human–nature interaction, enhancing social interaction and strengthening mental resilience. Nature-based interventions that are originally intended to support persons with psychiatric illness are introduced as models for the design of mentally supportive cities. And third, two case studies illustrate the mental health benefits of urban parks with the example of Leipzig, Germany and of street trees by the example of Hyderabad, India. The two case studies were used as application cases for a recent conceptual framework as a guide for putting science into practice

Principles for urban nature-based solutions

Nature-based solutions (NBS) were introduced as integrated, multifunctional and multi-beneficial solutions to a wide array of socio-ecological challenges. Although principles for a common understanding and implementation of NBS were already developed on a landscape scale, specific principles are needed with regard to an application in urban areas. Urban areas come with particular challenges including (i) spatial conflicts with urban system nestedness, (ii) specific urban biodiversity, fragmentation and altered environments, (iii) value plurality, multi-actor interdependencies and environmental injustices, (iv) path-dependencies with cultural and planning legacies and (v) a potential misconception of cities as being artificial landscapes disconnected from nature. Given these challenges, in this perspective paper, we build upon and integrate knowledge from the most recent academic work on NBS in urban areas and introduce five distinct, integrated principles for urban NBS design, planning and implementation. Our five principles should help to transcend governance gaps and advance the scientific discourse of urban NBS towards a more effective and sustainable urban development. To contribute to resilient urban futures, the design, planning, policy and governance of NBS should (1) consider the need for a systemic understanding, (2) contribute to benefiting people and biodiversity, (3) contribute to inclusive solutions for the long-term, (4) consider context conditions and (5) foster communication and learning

Nature-Based Solutions Initiating Scaling Guidebook

The Nature-Based Solutions ‘Initiating Scaling’ Process is a mechanism for beginning a city’s journey from one where nature-based solutions are delivered as isolated pilots of innovation to one whereby nature-based solutions are embedded in city-wide processes and practice. To begin on this scaling journey, there is a need to: establish the current expertise and experience in nature-based solutions with a city; map and engage stakeholders in a shared transitioning vision in relation to upscaled delivery of nature-based solutions; and identify learning objectives that represent challenges to upscaling. This initiation process is based upon a co-production methodology centred around a city authority team. Co-production engages a broad group of stakeholders through experiential workshops and questionnaires to explore collective experience of nature-based solutions

Nature-based Solutions and Water Security

This helpdesk report highlights some of the best practice examples of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for water security and examines the implementation challenges and lessons learned. NbS is an umbrella term for a range of approaches and activities including source water protection, watershed management, wetlands restoration, protection, and construction, water harvesting, agricultural best management practices, afforestation, sustainable drainage systems and protecting mangroves, amongst others. Water security is important for sustaining livelihoods, human well-being and socio-economic development. Water insecurity is increasing and nature-based solutions (NbS) can address some key water security challenges. Best practice examples of nature-based solutions include: water for agriculture; source water protection and water funds and urban green infrastructure. Combining green and grey infrastructure can improve storage and supply, lower costs, produce more resilient services, enhance system performance and better protect communities. There is some evidence that green infrastructure performs equal or better than grey infrastructure and is cost-effective in comparison. Scaling-up NbS faces the following implementation challenges: finance; scale and context; equity; stakeholder engagement and gaps in technical guidance. There is a high degree of variation in how ecosystems impact on hydrology. Consequently, site-specific knowledge will be important in implementing Nb

Modeling Nature-based Solutions for Climate Resilience

Riparian wetlands can serve as nature-based infrastructure that slow the rapid movement of water during high flow events. As the recurrence of high flow events increases due to global climate change, an improved understanding of the potential of wetland landscapes to provide flood mitigation is needed. This research addresses both the impacts of climate change and land cover on extreme flow events in the Otter Creek watershed in Vermont. The upstream portion of the basin is modeled with the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to investigate the impacts of climate change on extreme flow events. A Hydrologic Engineering Center\u27s - River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) two-dimensional hydraulics model is implemented to explore the downstream response of these high flow events to land-use changes in the low-land floodplain system. Flood frequency is analyzed for the results of the hydrology model driven by climate data derived from a representative concentration pathway emission scenario (RCP8.5). Hydraulic model results demonstrate the ability of forested wetlands within the riparian corridor to substantially mitigate the impacts of flooding to downstream communities