FACT SHEET - UNIT 2.

1
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR DISASTER
AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE?

What do we mean by Nature-based Solutions for disaster and climate resilience?

There are ecosystem-based ways to increase carbon storage in vegetation and soils, such as extensive
reforestation and soil restoration. This is one example of climate mitigation.

• Each year, a mature tree cleans the air by absorbing 22 kg of carbon dioxide (CO ) and releasing oxygen
2

(O ) in exchange.
2

• Peatlands are the world’s largest organic carbon stock; the area covered by near natural peatland
worldwide (>3 million km ) sequesters 0.37 gigatonnes of CO a year.
2
2

• Blue carbon is the carbon stored in coastal and marine ecosystems such as mangroves, seagrasses and
salt marshes. These ecosystems sequester more carbon per unit than terrestrial forests.
• Destroying these ecosystems releases CO into the atmosphere.
2

Ecosystem-based ways to reduce the impacts from disasters and climate change include: green and blue
infrastructure, forest restoration, wetland restoration, climate smart agriculture/agroforestry and urban
greening. These can be combined with early warning systems or grey infrastructure such as sea walls, if not
harmful to the environment.

• Green infrastructure refers to trees, lawns, hedgerows, parks, fields, forests, etc. Blue infrastructure
refers to water elements, like rivers, canals, ponds, wetlands, floodplains, water treatment facilities,
etc. These terms come from urban planning and land-use planning. Grey infrastructure refers to
built or engineered infrastructure.
• Hybrid infrastructure encompasses both green and grey approaches, as well as “blue” infrastructure,
which mimics natural systems using artificial materials or through combining natural and non-
natural structures.
• Ecological restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been
degraded, damaged, or destroyed.

At the heart of both are environmental management approaches, which can be combined with measures that
explicitly reduce disaster and climate change impacts.

1
2
LEARN MORE

Dig in deeper

● Eco-DRR Source book Chapters: 5, 6

● MOOC videos from Disasters and Ecosystems: Resilience in a Changing Climate
o Unit 4 – Principles and challenges of ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction and climate
change adaptation
o Unit 10 – Linkages between Eco-DRR and EbA

References

• Browder et al. (2019) Integrating Gray and Green: Creating the next generation of infrastructure
• Chausson et al. (2020) Mapping the effectiveness for nature-based solutions for climate change
adaptation. Global Change Biology, 26, 6134-6155. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15310
• Renaud, F, Sudmeier-Rieux, K, Estrella, M. (2013) The Role of Ecosystems in Disaster Risk Reduction.
United Nations University Press, Tokyo, 489pp.
• Ruanpang et al. (2020) Nature-based Solutions for hydro-meteorological risk: state of the art review of
the research area. Natural Hazards and Earth System Science, 20, 243-270.
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-20-243-2020

Reports

● UNEP (2015) Promoting ecosystems for disaster and climate change adaptation: a discussion paper
● UNEP-WCMC (2019) Briefing Note 3. Ecosystem-based Adaptation in different ecosystems
● UNEP-WCMC (2019) Briefing Note 4: Selecting complementary adaptation measures
● NBS Facilitation Team (2018) Compendium of Contributions Nature-based Solutions
● IUCN (2020) IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions

Websites

• Nature-based Solution Initiative: https://www.naturebasedsolutionsinitiative.org/

• UNEP – Ecosystem-based Adaptation: https://www.unenvironment.org/explore-topics/climate-
change/what-we-do/climate-adaptation/ecosystem-based-adaptation
• UNEP – Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction: https://www.unenvironment.org/explore-
topics/disasters-conflicts/what-we-do/risk-reduction/ecosystem-based-disaster-risk
• UN-REDD programme: https://www.un-redd.org/
• The blue carbon initiative: https://www.thebluecarboninitiative.org/
• History of rainforestation, Visayas State University, the
Philippines: http://www.rainforestation.ph/whatisrf/history.html
• Environmental Leadership & Training Initiative:
https://environment.yale.edu/news/article/environmental-leadership-training-initiative/

Videos

● What is Ecosystem-based Adaptation?

3
 ● Forests and Nature-based Solutions
● UNEP-EC: Afghanistan, Mountain Partners
● UNEP: Community groups restoring mangroves to buffer against wave surges
● IUCN-EPIC: Solutions from Nature
● Reducing the risk of disaster through nature-based solutions: mangroves

GET INVOLVED!

Communicating on Nature-based Solutions

● Be accurate in the information you share by ensuring you use reputable sources to counter
misinformation;
● Use art as a way to spread the message;
● Highlight the multiple benefits of Nature-based Solutions;
● Find and use examples of environmental management and conservation activities from your region;
● Use social media accounts to highlight the native biodiversity that exists within your city/region and
what is in danger of being lost unless measures are taken.