Nature-based Solutions Initiative, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2020 Mar 16;375(1794):20190120. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0120. Epub 2020 Jan 27.
There is growing awareness that 'nature-based solutions' (NbS) can help to protect us from climate change impacts while slowing further warming, supporting biodiversity and securing ecosystem services. However, the potential of NbS to provide the intended benefits has not been rigorously assessed. There are concerns over their reliability and cost-effectiveness compared to engineered alternatives, and their resilience to climate change. Trade-offs can arise if climate mitigation policy encourages NbS with low biodiversity value, such as afforestation with non-native monocultures. This can result in maladaptation, especially in a rapidly changing world where biodiversity-based resilience and multi-functional landscapes are key. Here, we highlight the rise of NbS in climate policy-focusing on their potential for climate change adaptation as well as mitigation-and discuss barriers to their evidence-based implementation. We outline the major financial and governance challenges to implementing NbS at scale, highlighting avenues for further research. As climate policy turns increasingly towards greenhouse gas removal approaches such as afforestation, we stress the urgent need for natural and social scientists to engage with policy makers. They must ensure that NbS can achieve their potential to tackle both the climate and biodiversity crisis while also contributing to sustainable development. This will require systemic change in the way we conduct research and run our institutions. This article is part of the theme issue 'Climate change and ecosystems: threats, opportunities and solutions'.
人们越来越意识到，“基于自然的解决方案”（NbS）可以帮助我们防范气候变化的影响，同时减缓进一步的变暖，支持生物多样性并确保生态系统服务。然而，NbS 提供预期效益的潜力尚未经过严格评估。与工程替代品相比，人们对其可靠性和成本效益存在担忧，而且它们对气候变化的适应能力也存在担忧。如果气候缓解政策鼓励具有低生物多样性价值的 NbS，例如用非本地单一栽培种进行造林，就可能会出现权衡取舍。这可能会导致适应不良，特别是在一个生物多样性为基础的弹性和多功能景观是关键的快速变化的世界中。在这里，我们强调了 NbS 在气候政策中的兴起——重点关注其在气候变化适应以及缓解方面的潜力，并讨论了基于证据实施 NbS 的障碍。我们概述了在大规模实施 NbS 面临的主要财务和治理挑战，强调了进一步研究的途径。随着气候政策越来越倾向于温室气体清除方法，例如造林，我们强调自然和社会科学家与政策制定者接触的紧迫性。他们必须确保 NbS 能够发挥其潜力，应对气候和生物多样性危机，同时为可持续发展做出贡献。这将需要我们在开展研究和管理机构的方式上进行系统性变革。本文是“气候变化与生态系统：威胁、机遇与解决方案”主题特刊的一部分。
