Nature-based Solutions: Putting People First
As climate change drives more frequent natural disasters and extreme temperatures, vulnerable and marginalized communities that are highly dependent on fragile ecosystems face the greatest risks. While nature becomes a threat, if we can work with nature instead of against it, it also offers solutions to build climate resilience through Nature-based Solutions (NbS),
What are Nature-based Solutions?
Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are strategies that tackle major societal challenges by protecting, sustainably managing, and restoring ecosystems, delivering benefits for both biodiversity and human well-being. As per the IUCN, NbS helps in climate change mitigation and adaptation by decreasing greenhouse gas emissions caused by deforestation and land use, providing carbon emission removal and increasing the resilience of ecosystems to natural risks such as heatwaves, floods and wildfires.
According to an IPCC report, measures such as “reducing the destruction of forests and other ecosystems, restoring them, and improving the management of working lands, such as farms” and urban forestation rank amongst the top five most effective strategies. Moreover, these could contribute up to 30% of climate adaptation and mitigation efforts by 2030. However, critics argue that there is a catch – these strategies would only be effective at carbon offsetting if more carbon emissions are not produced by large emitters in the first place.
Moreover, while many NbS initiatives are well-intentioned, some have attracted criticism for missing the mark and being one-dimensional. These include projects which fail to adequately consult and include local communities, disregarding community wellbeing and autonomy in order to achieve their reporting goals. For example, a 2021 analysis report of NbS by IIED showed that a hilsa fishery conservation programme in Bangladesh disadvantaged the poorer fishers due to fishing restrictions and lack of alternative income sources.
If employed correctly, NbS should account for complete ecosystems and the human systems dependent on them. For instance, reforestation would not just be a simple task of planting trees in an effort of monolithic reforestation. It should instead be supported by local biodiversity needs, with local communities consulted as active stakeholders and barriers to regeneration such as logging and displacement removed through political and community representation. Hence, it is important to emphasise the need for strong governance structures through community leadership and using a rights-based approach to NbS to holistically strengthen the ecosystems and communities in question.
Native’s Approach to NbS:
As a commitment to climate justice and equity, Native Squared supports communities and protects biodiverse ecosystems. It recognizes the bond indigenous guardians have to their land and that NbS is more than just about sequestering carbon and using nature as a commodity. As part of our first project, Native Squared partnered with indigenous guardians of the rainforest in the Solomon Islands. With a three-pronged methodology of Additionality, Biodiversity and Community (ABC), the project earned a score of 78% on Community. This was based on metrics of investment leading to social impact, community engagement and participation in decision making, gender participation and nature-based risks the community could face, among others.
These measures do not detract from more narrowly defined climate goals such as carbon sequestration. It is Native’s view that empowered indigenous communities with land rights and autonomy over use of funds will ultimately be more effective in terms of carbon than projects which focus on carbon alone.
By prioritising indigenous knowledge and meaningful community participation, the project hopes to give back to the community and set a practical example of how nature-based climate solutions can be both effective and just.