Nature-based solutions for climate change in the UK: a report by the British Ecological Society.
Abstract
For this report the definition of Nature-based solutions (NbS) as solutions that "work with and enhance nature to mitigate or adapt to climate change while simultaneously providing benefits to biodiversity and people" was employed. This report by the British Ecological Society makes a valuable contribution to this agenda by providing an authoritative review of the potential of (NbS) in the UK. It examines a range of ecosystems and land uses and also looks at wider considerations of what it would take to deliver nature-based solutions at sufficient scale, including policies and potential trade-offs. It draws on the collective expertise of around 100 contributors with a wide range of expertise, and is a wonderful example of how the broad ecological community of academia, research, civil society and practice can pool its expertise and insights to make an important contribution to this timely and pressing issue. This report shows how an NbS approach can apply to a wide variety of ecosystems ranging from high peatlands to grasslands, heathlands and agricultural and urban environments, through to freshwater, coastal and marine systems. It also highlights that it is important not to focus on carbon sequestration as the only goal, as this can result in negative biodiversity outcomes such as monoculture plantations, or tree planting on species-rich natural grasslands or heathlands.