
Mongabay series: Nature-based Solutions
Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural and modified ecosystems that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing “human well-being and biodiversity benefits,” according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. In an essay, University of Oxford’s Nature-based Solutions Initiative Director Nathalie Seddon underscored that to “qualify as an NbS, an action must sustainably provide one or more benefits for people while causing no loss of biodiversity or ecological integrity compared to the pre-intervention state.” To be sustainable and equitable, NbS must also be designed, implemented, managed and monitored by or in partnership with indigenous peoples and local communities through a process that fully respects and champions local rights and knowledge, and generates local benefits, the essay adds. NbS is an ‘umbrella concept’ for other established ‘nature-based’ approaches such as ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) and ecosystem based mitigation, eco-disaster risk reduction and green infrastructure. More recently, the term ‘natural climate solutions (NCS)’ entered the lexicon. NCS also falls under the umbrella of NbS, but refers explicitly to conservation and management actions that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ecosystems and harness their potential to store carbon. This series attempts to highlight the Nature-based Solutions from around India while ensuring credibility, impacts as well as pitfalls and limitations of such solutions.


[Commentary] How grassroots-led natural farming at the landscape scale can support communities and heal the planet

Kerala’s dwindling mangroves need concerted effort in conservation

[Commentary] Life lessons on a journey through mangroves

Not everyone’s sold on the global sensation – Miyawaki forests

Coastal communities in Gujarat build mangrove barriers with benefits for environment and livelihoods

[Commentary] A shared understanding of forest landscapes is the foundation for restoration

The role of urban foraging in building climate-resilient food systems

Biodiversity, human rights safeguards are crucial to nature-based solutions, say critics

Passive restoration of Kashmir’s forests has improved soil structure and carbon sink

[Commentary] Forestry, people and India’s renewed NDC commitments

India is pitching for a 30 by 30 vision at the Montreal biodiversity COP

Large grass-munching herbivores can stabilise soil carbon

[Commentary] Documenting the flora and fauna of Phalee to mitigate the impact of forest fires

Coconut-based integrated farming could help sequester carbon, improve farm productivity: study

The planet has lost 83% of its freshwater aquatic life in 50 years, finds report

[Commentary] Mobilising resources for biodiversity conservation in the far eastern Himalayas

The potential of Kashmir’s springs for climate resilience

The reality of saving young mangroves in the Sundarbans

[Interview] Just representation in climate policies empowers women, says Saudamini Das
Special series
Wetland Champions
- [Commentary] India establishes the largest network of Ramsar Sites in South Asia
- [Commentary] Wetland champions: Promise from the grassroots
- The story of Jakkur lake sets an example for inclusive rejuvenation projects
- Welcome to Tsomgo lake: Please don’t litter

Environment And Health
- Gig workers in India are exposed to highly polluted air and carcinogens, finds preliminary study
- [Explainer] Living with microplastics, is not fantastic
- Residents in Haryana point to stone crushing units for their respiratory troubles and drop in crop yield
- As heatwaves projected to worsen across India, do vulnerability assessments and heat action plans suffice?

Almost Famous Species
- [Commentary] Why are evolutionary scientists studying the crawlies?
- The silent trade of elusive small cats in Mizoram
- Researchers study the elusive dugongs of the Andamans with help from community stakeholders
- New species of parachute gecko recorded in Mizoram

Eco Hope
- Green pilgrimage model balances faith and conservation
- [Video] Restoring the perennial Thamirabarani river with people power
- [Interview] Conservation scientist Joli Rumi Borah on integrating traditional knowledge in research
- [Interview] Scientist Ruth DeFries on deforestation: There isn’t one driver, there’s a different context in different places

India's Iconic Landscapes
- Studies reveal impact of land use on species diversity in rock outcrops
- Improved tiger numbers come with hidden messages on invasives, habitat connectivity
- Gymnosperms that are critical for coniferous forest health may be steadily declining in response to climate change
- Experts call for coexistence, sustainable development as tiger population is close to saturation

Beyond Protected Areas
- Darkness-loving bats are being nudged out of the shadows
- Bioinvasions are a global threat to ecosystems, says IPBES report
- Artisanal fishers wary of coastal aquaculture regulation amendments that legalise past violations
- Tiger poaching network, that spread from west to east India, busted

Conserving Agro-biodiversity
- Excavating farmlands for highways
- Increasing carbon dioxide is making our food less nutritious
- Ecosystem-based adaptation takes nature-based, people-centric approach to agriculture
- [Commentary] How grassroots-led natural farming at the landscape scale can support communities and heal the planet

Just Transitions
- Climate action not on track to meet Paris Agreement goals, says Global Stocktake report
- [Interview] Suravee Nayak on why transformative justice for women, Dalits is key for a just transition
- Promised rehabilitation eludes residents living near one of India’s earliest coal mines
- As e-mobility gains traction, what’s in store for the friendly neighbourhood mechanic?
