What are Nature-Based Solutions?

Nature-based solutions are projects that work with nature to address major problems such as climate change, flooding, and erosion. Specifically, these projects protect, restore, or improve the environment to tackle challenges. Examples of nature-based solutions include:

• Protecting wetlands to shield communities from sea level rise, flooding, and erosion
• Planting trees in cities to address heat waves and capture rainwater
• Installing green roofs (roofs with plants) to reduce air pollution

 

 

“Natural features are created through the action of physical, geological, biological and chemical processes over time. Nature-based features, in contrast, are created by human design, engineering, and construction (in concert with natural processes) to provide specific services such as coastal risk reduction and other ecosystem services (e.g., habitat for fish and wildlife). Nature-based features are acted upon by processes operating in nature, and as a result, generally must be maintained by human intervention in order to sustain the functions and services for which they were built.” -Bridges et. Al. 2015