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- A conceptual framework to help choose appropriate blue nature-based solutionsPublication . Pérez, Géraldine; O'Leary, Bethan C; Allegri, Elena; Casal, Gema; Cornet, Cindy C.; de Juan, Silvia; Failler, Pierre; Fredriksen, Stein; Fonseca, Catarina; Furlan, Elisa; Gil, Artur José Freire; Hawkins, Julie P.; Maréchal, Jean-Philippe; McCarthy, Tim; Roberts, Callum M.; Trégarot, Ewan; Van Der Geest, Matthijs; Simide, RémyBiodiversity loss and climate change have severely impacted ecosystems and livelihoods worldwide, compromising access to food and water, increasing disaster risk, and affecting human health globally. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) have gained interest in addressing these global societal challenges. Although much effort has been directed to NbS in urban and terrestrial environments, the implementation of NbS in marine and coastal environments (blue NbS) lags. The lack of a framework to guide decision-makers and practitioners through the initial planning stages appears to be one of the main obstacles to the slow implementation of blue NbS. To address this, we propose an integrated conceptual framework, built from expert knowledge, to inform the selection of the most appropriate blue NbS based on desired intervention objectives and social-ecological context. Our conceptual framework follows a four incremental steps structure: Step 1 aims to identify the societal challenge(s) to address; Step 2 highlights ecosystem services and the underlying biodiversity and ecological functions that could contribute to confronting the societal challenge(s); Step 3 identify the specific environmental context the intervention needs to be set within (e.g. the spatial scale the intervention will operate within, the ecosystem's vulnerability to stressors, and its ecological condition); and Step 4 provides a selection of potential blue NbS interventions that would help address the targeted societal challenge(s) considering the context defined through Step 3. Designed to maintain, enhance, recover, rehabilitate, or create ecosystem services by supporting biodiversity, the blue NbS intervention portfolio includes marine protection (i.e., fully, highly, lightly, and minimally protected areas), restorative activities (i.e., active, passive, and partial restoration; rehabilitation of ecological function and ecosystem creation), and other management measures (i.e., implementation and enforcement of regulation). Ultimately, our conceptual framework guides decision-makers toward a versatile portfolio of interventions that cater to the specific needs of each ecosystem rather than imposing a rigid, one-size-fits-all model. In the future, this framework needs to integrate socio-economic considerations more comprehensively and be kept up-to-date by including the latest scientific information.
- Practitioner insights on challenges and options for advancing blue Nature-based SolutionsPublication . O'Leary, Bethan C; Wood, Louisa E.; Cornet, Cindy C.; Roberts, Callum M.; Fonseca, CatarinaThe dual environmental crises of climate change and biodiversity loss pose severe threats to human health and well-being. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are promoted as an important component of the response to simultaneously address both crises. However, their uptake in policy and planning has been impeded by evidence gaps and barriers to implementation, particularly in marine and coastal systems. Here, we describe practitioner perspectives on perceived challenges to implementing NbS in marine and coastal ecosystems (blue NbS) and make recommendations to overcome the most significant. These consensus perspectives were obtained through an exploratory, qualitative workshop, attended by environmental policy and practice stakeholders representing government and non-profit organisations from across Northern Europe, that identified and prioritised perceived challenges for in-depth discussion. Key priority challenges were: (1) policy driver and appropriate legislation to support NbS; (2) funding mechanisms; and (3) stakeholder awareness, values, and engagement. Discussions highlighted that successful implementation will require addressing these through better collaboration, communication, longer-term funding of projects, and better integration of top-down and bottom-up approaches to management. The strength, and at the same time difficulty, of NbS is that they draw together diverse actors and approaches, but improved standards are needed for application if they are to realise their potential. Ultimately, reducing uncertainty in the definition and concept of NbS amongst stakeholders is needed to accelerate their deployment in complex marine social-ecological systems.