Nature-based solutions can help fight climate change and biodiversity loss

Nature-based solutions, such as restoring native forests, are key to reducing climate change impacts, according to a report today from Oxford's Nature-based Solutions Initiative.

In the first systematic review of nature-based interventions around the world, the Oxford researchers found that most reduce climate impacts, such as flooding, soil erosion and loss of food production.

Nature-based investments also led to social, environmental, and greenhouse gas reduction benefits - suggesting they have a key role to play in global efforts to combat climate change and biodiversity loss, while also achieving other sustainable development goals.

Professor Nathalie Seddon, study author and Director of Oxford’s Nature-based Solutions Initiative says, ‘This review shows that there is a wealth of evidence that nature-based solutions can and should play a key role in countries’ plans to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

‘But not all solutions are equally beneficial. Evidence from artificial systems, such as tree plantations made up of non-native species, often found trade-offs, where some benefits are offset by adverse effects such as decreased water availability.’

The study authors hope policymakers will use the research to understand better which nature-based solutions are most effective.

Nature-based solutions work with and enhance nature to support both people and global biodiversity. Tree-planting is a well-known example, with the potential to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and protect against flooding and soil erosion, so long as the correct species are planted in the right places. Other such solutions include protecting old-growth forests to reduce landslides, and restoring coastal ecosystems as a defence against storms and sea level rise.

Alexandre Chausson, study author and senior researcher in Oxford’s Nature-based Solutions Initiative, explains, ‘It’s not just about tree-planting and greenhouse gas removal. In many cases nature-based interventions can help communities adapt to the wave of climate change impacts we’ve seen over the past months, from record-breaking heatwaves to wildfires and hurricanes.’

Nature based solutions can also add economic value, according to the team. Alison Smith, another study author and a researcher at Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute, adds, ‘Although seeing nature-based solutions solely through an economic lens can undervalue their benefits, it’s also important to highlight their role in the green economic recovery from COVID-19. In the UK, for example, restoring peat bogs or native woodland has been highlighted as a potential source of green jobs.’

And nature-based solutions can provide goods and services which help buffer communities when other sources of income fail, according to Beth Turner, study author and researcher at the Nature-based Solutions Initiative. She emphasises, ‘In Zimbabwe, protected forests provide honey to supplement food and income when crops are lost to droughts. And beyond monetary value, properly implemented nature-based solutions can empower communities and build equity, which can contribute to climate change resilience in the long term.’