From the day that human beings started to dominate the earth, they had been influencing and changing this planet. The man had developed the planet into a cozier place in many aspects but he had simultaneously forgotten about certain elements that are also parts of this planet. But looking back, this intelligent being had understood that his influence had affected the equilibrium of nature and it is his responsibility to reorganize this mess even at a smaller pace and at small degrees.
‘Nature-based solutions’… Ever heard of it ?
Bringing humankind several steps closer to Mother Earth, he who had always been finding artificial solutions to artificial problems had made a novel approach to bring natural solutions to the artificial problems. ‘Nature-based solutions’ concept is this ardent step ‘towards’ nature and ‘for’ nature. This concept was introduced by the world bank and the IUCN to address the climatic issues in the early 2000s. But now this concept is used to come up with solutions to numerous problems around the world.
Simply, in this concept, the fundamental principles in natural ecosystems are used as keys to solving problems.
What kind of problems are addressed by this concept?
- Climate change
- Disaster risk reduction
- Food and water security
- Health and economic development
This concept makes sure that these solutions benefit both man and nature simultaneously and equally. And that’s the beauty of this prestigious concept.
Where is this concept implemented in the real world?
The restoration and conservation of the abundant wetlands in the Colombo region along with the incorporation of flood reduction systems are some of the implementations. The introduction of market-oriented agroforestry in Nepal as an approach to reduce household poverty is also among them. Furthermore, a park was constructed in Milan, Italy to reduce the flood risk. There, the water in the park was purified through reed beds and a wetland was also constructed close by in which a part was used as a recreational area. Also, community forests were implemented in Nepal to reduce deforestation and harmful emissions. Moving on, the coral reef restoration project in Belize to reduce the coastal wave intensity to secure the coastal cities is also another example of the aforementioned concept.
Thus, it’s obvious that the Nature-Based solution’s concept has benefited man and the natural environment parallelly in economic, social, cultural, and health aspects.
My dear friend, don’t you feel lucky about living in this era and still being able to witness such projects where Mother Nature is the chief advisor?
Rtr. Jayani Sheron Jayamanna
References:
- https://www.naturebasedsolutionsinitiative.org/nbs-case-studies/
- https://www.iucn.org/theme/nature-based-solutions/about
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