The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is essential to slow down global warming and its catastrophic effects but more efforts are needed to curve the degradation of nature and human-well being. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) is an ecosystem-based framework to address climate and biodiversity crises and it is defined as “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” (IUCN 2016). Through actions grouped within five broad categories (i.e. Restoration, Issue-specific, Infrastructure, Management and Protection), NbS are designed to address the societal challenges including Climate change, Food security, Water security, Disaster reduction, Human Health, and Socioeconomic development (Figure below).
Green infrastructure is one part of the Nature-based Solutions in addressing climate change in urban ecosystems. Green infrastructure refers to “A strategically planned and managed, spatially interconnected network of multi-functional natural, semi-natural and man-made green and blue features including agricultural land, green corridors, urban parks, forest reserves, wetlands, rivers, coastal and other aquatic ecosystems” (European Comission, 2013).
Nature-Based Solution and green infrastructure is a multi-disciplinary field. At BCIT various departments such as Building Science, Ecological Restoration and Civil Engineering have come together to collaborate on various green stormwater infrastructure projects on rain gardens/bioretention cells, blue-green roofs, and ecological restorations.
Acronyms: Ecological Restoration (ER); Ecological Engineering (EE); Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR); Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA); Ecosystem-based Mitigation (EbM); Climate Adaptation Services (CAS); Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR); Natural Infrastructure (NI); Green Infrastructure (GI); Ecosystem-based Management (EbMgt); Area-based Conservation (AbC). Societal challenges: Climate change, Food security, Water security, Disaster reduction, Human Health, Socioeconomic development. (Figure taken from: Cohen-Shacham, et al. 2019)