Evaluating the Impact of Nature-Based Solutions: A Handbook for Practitioners

The Handbook aims to provide decision-makers with a comprehensive NBS impact assessment framework, and a robust set of indicators and methodologies to assess impacts of nature-based solutions across 12 societal challenge areas: Climate Resilience; Water Management; Natural and Climate Hazards; Green Space Management; Biodiversity; Air Quality; Place Regeneration; Knowledge and Social Capacity Building for Sustainable Urban Transformation; Participatory Planning and Governance; Social Justice and Social Cohesion; Health and Well-being; New Economic Opportunities and Green Jobs. Indicators have been developed collaboratively by representatives of 17 individual EU-funded NBS projects and collaborating institutions such as the EEA and JRC, as part of the European Taskforce for NBS Impact Assessment, with the four-fold objective of: serving as a reference for relevant EU policies and activities; orient urban practitioners in developing robust impact evaluation frameworks for nature-based solutions at different scales; expand upon the pioneering work of the EKLIPSE framework by providing a comprehensive set of indicators and methodologies; and build the European evidence base regarding NBS impacts. They reflect the state of the art in current scientific research on impacts of nature-based solutions and valid and standardized methods of assessment, as well as the state of play in urban implementation of evaluation frameworks

Gold nanoparticle-filled biodegradable photopolymer scaffolds induced muscle remodeling: in vitro and in vivo findings

Therapeutic stem cell transplantation bears the promise of new directions in organ and tissue replacement, but a number of its difficulties and perils are also well known. Our goal was to develop a method of transplantation by which the transplanted cells remain confined to the transplantation site and induce favorable processes. With the help of mask-projection excimer laser stereolithography, 3D hybrid nanoscaffolds were fabricated from biodegradable, photocurable PPF:DEF resin with incorporated gold nanoparticles (Au NPs). The scaffolds were tested in vitro and in vivo in order to find out about their biocompatibility and fitness for our purposes. In vitro, macrophages and mouse autologous adipose stem cells (ASCs) were seeded over the hybrid scaffolds and non-hybrid (with Au NPs) scaffolds for 4 days. The hybrid nanocomposite greater stem cell dispension and stem cell adhesion than PPF scaffolds without Au NPs, but such a difference was not seen in the case of macrophages. In vivo, stem cells, scaffoldings and scaffoldings covered in stem cells were transplanted under the back skin of mice. After 14 days, blood samples were taken and the affected skin area was excised. Cytokine and chemokine profiling did not indicate elevated immunomediators in the sera of experimental animals. Interestingly, the autologous-stem-cell-seeded hybrid nanocomposite scaffold induced muscle tissue regeneration after experimental wound generation in vivo. We could not observe such stem cell-induced tissue regeneration when no scaffolding was used. We conclude that PPF:DEF resin nanoscaffolds with incorporated gold nanoparticles offer a safe and efficient alternative for the enhancement of local tissue remodeling. The results also support the idea that adipose derived stem cells are an optimal cell type for the purposes of regenerative musculoskeletal tissue engineering. © 201

Data Requirements

Evaluating NBS benefits, co-benefits, and trade-offs can be a data intensive process. Understanding the data requirements is a critical element in relation to ensuring both the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of this evaluation process. In order to establish the monitoring plans and schemes described in previous chapters, and to deliver this over the range of relevant scales, it is therefore critical to generate data that are both applicable for the nature-based solution impact assessment, and that are comparable to the preceding monitoring campaigns. This chapter addresses the data requirements involved in evaluating the impacts that nature-based solutions manifest and explains the data building blocks involved in NBS monitoring and assessment procedures

Chapter 4. Indicators of NBS Performance and Impact

This chapter introduces 12 categories of societal challenges that NBS can address (Section 4.1). These are conceptually mapped against the UN Sustainable Development Goals. For each of the 12 societal challenge areas, Section 4.2 outlines and lists indicators to evaluate the performance and impact of NBS. It reviews the different types of NBS, gives examples of each NBS type, and lists the indicators related to the particular societal challenge in a series of tables. Associated methodologies are compiled in the related Appendix of Methods. To help navigate, the indicators are classified as structural, process-based or outcome-oriented. Structural indicators are particularly useful during the NBS planning process and can help identify where resources may be lacking or highlight policy and/or procedural gaps that require attention. Process-based indicators can provide information about the value or impacts of the collaborative processes that underpin NBS (co-creation, co-implementation and co- management). The outcome-oriented indicators are useful to understand NBS performance by establishing an understanding of baseline (pre-NBS) conditions and following changes to these conditions after NBS implementation. We distinguish between recommended and additional indicators. Recommended indicators are considered the most important ones to monitor NBS impact. Additional indicators can provide highly valuable information, depending on local context and particular data needs. The chapter concludes with a reflection on the importance of critical thinking to select the right indicators for a holistic assessment of NBS and the development of emerging indicators (Section 4.3)