#NatureBasedSolutions promoted using ecosystem restoration and protection to address climate change, biodiversity loss, and human wellbeing simultaneously—forests, wetlands, mangroves, soil, and oceans as climate solutions.
IUCN Framework
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) defined NbS as “actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural or modified ecosystems.” Examples: reforestation/afforestation, peatland restoration, mangrove protection, regenerative agriculture, urban green infrastructure, and coastal ecosystem preservation.
Carbon Sequestration Potential
Research suggested natural climate solutions could provide 37% of cost-effective CO2 mitigation needed by 2030 (Griscom et al., 2017). Forests, wetlands, and soils sequestered billions of tons of carbon annually. Mangroves stored 5-10x more carbon per hectare than forests. Protecting existing ecosystems prevented massive emissions from deforestation and degradation.
Co-Benefits
Unlike technical carbon removal, NbS delivered multiple benefits: biodiversity habitat, watershed protection, flood mitigation, air/water filtration, livelihoods, food security, and cultural value. Advocates argued NbS were “no regret” investments improving resilience regardless of climate outcomes.
Criticism & Risks
Critics warned NbS rhetoric enabled continued fossil fuel emissions while pretending tree planting offset pollution. Large-scale monoculture tree plantations (not biodiverse forests) dominated corporate offsetting schemes—“tree-washing.” Land grabs displaced Indigenous communities. Forests were impermanent carbon storage (vulnerable to fire, disease, logging). Scientists emphasized: NbS were complement to, not substitute for, rapid emissions reductions.
Policy Integration
Paris Agreement increasingly emphasized NbS. Governments pledged restoration targets: Bonn Challenge (350M hectares by 2030), UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030). Funding mechanisms emerged but remained fraction of fossil fuel subsidies.
https://www.iucn.org/theme/nature-based-solutions http://web.archive.org/web/20250808091841/https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1710465114