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.
Study finds potential to restore native shola trees under the shade of the exotic Acacia
Crafting a sustainable future for artisans using bamboo
Idu Mishmi protect ancestral land through community conservation
More wild water buffaloes in central India to fix population decline and ecological degradation
[Commentary] Rising tides, rooted solutions
India adds five more wetlands to its list of Ramsar sites
[Interview] Climate change talks do not take nature into consideration in its economics: Partha Dasgupta
To dye or not to dye: The fashion industry’s natural dye conundrum
Megaherbivores could be a potential solution to manage invasive plants, finds study
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
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
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
- Marine plastic pollution is not just a waste problem; reducing production is needed too
- Stitching sustainability amidst climate change challenges
- Gujarat bans exotic Conocarpus tree amid health and environment hazard
- Malaria-carrying mosquitoes shift homes from forests to rice fields
India's Iconic Landscapes
- Majuli’s shrinking wetlands and their fight for survival
- Saving India’s wild ‘unicorns’
- Indrella ampulla’s genetic tapestry unveils colour morphs isolated across the Palghat Gap
- [Commentary] Up close and personal with the fragility of the Himalayas
Beyond Protected Areas
- [Commentary] Indigenous traditions honour muggers amidst modern challenges
- The curious case of a frog and a fungus
- Wildlife rescue operations in Kashmir face an uphill battle with rising human-wildife conflict
- Pathogens find new pathways as agriculture, deforestation intensify
Conserving Agro-biodiversity
- Pricey guests: Urban invasive species cost the world billions every year
- [Commentary] GROW with agroforestry, a step towards sustainable land management
- Millet tradition loses flavour among Madhya Pradesh’s tribals
- A village nurtures traditional food systems in response to climate change
Just Transitions
- [Interview] “This is in honour of adivasis fighting for their land, water, forest,” says Goldman Prize winner Alok Shukla
- How unplanned coal mine closures in India are affecting dependent communities, especially women
- Green Credit Scheme’s ‘methodology’ doesn’t inspire confidence among experts
- Conflict over critical mineral prospecting in Odisha signals need for better community involvement