A newly published paper in the Nature-Based Solutions journal, provides scientific guidance on how and where to implement marine and coastal Nature-based Solutions (NBS) to better facilitate their design, effectiveness and value through innovative synergistic actions. 

The research paper has been supported by three large-scale projects MaCoBios, FutureMARES and REST-COAST and has been developed by a team of leading experts, amongst whom the REST-COAST coordinator Prof. Agustín Sanchez-Arcilla of the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) and partners Mindert de Vries of Deltares, Xavier le Roux of the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE) and Grzegorz Różyński of the Institute for Hydro-Engineering of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IBW PAN). 

NBS have emerged as a systemic approach and an important component of the response to the pressing challenges towards biodiversity loss, climate change and unstable economic and social development. The authors claim that in marine and coastal spaces, NBS can contribute to improved environmental health, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and a more sustainable blue economy, if implemented to a high standard. However, NBS have been largely studied for terrestrial – particularly urban – systems, with limited uptake thus far in marine and coastal areas, despite an abundance of opportunities.

Nature-based Solutions can contribute to transforming the management of nature, providing a wide range of ecological benefits and advancements to the welfare of societies. Henceforth, the research article provides useful points for prioritising that will contribute to building and co-creating the marine and coastal NBS. 

The full paper can be found here.

Photo: Research priorities for advancing understanding and informing implementation of multi-functional, resilient and valued marine and coastal NBS.