Increased frequencies of extreme climate events are alarming for the entire South Asia region that is sensitive to ongoing climate changes. South Asia region is world’s most densely populated area and home to more than 500 million poor people of the world. Region is also one of the mega-diversity centers and biodiversity hotspots and has been historically vulnerable to several natural hazards. Exposure linked to geo-climatic and socio-economic circumstances makes India one of the most disaster prone countries on the planet. In last three decades (1990 onwards) the country has undergone rapid temperature rise and alteration in rainfall patterns. Disasters are no more centered in remote and isolated natural pockets of the country. Urban areas are new emerging centers of natural as well as man-made disasters. As per, vulnerability atlas of India, 38 cities are in seismic vulnerability areas adding to their exposure to environmental and human induced calamities. The intensification is in terms of number of incidents, magnitude and intricacies of these disasters that has triggered and heightened responsiveness and necessity for pre-disaster preparedness and mitigation efforts as a pertinent obligation.
A disaster as a sudden, calamitous incident resulting in huge losses many times exceed the community’s ability to cope using their own resources. Disasters have been intricately linked to progress and expansion, and to a magnitude they also depend on development concerns about the environment. Disasters and environment are interlinked in multiple ways. Deforestation and forest degradation, rapid land-use change, and overexploitation of natural resources are compounding natural vulnerabilities. Degradation of environment characterized by deforestation, biodiversity loss, impromptu development, etc., so far has been few of the foremost considerations for worsening their causative vulnerabilities. Ecological degradation magnifies the intensity of natural disasters and often transforms a natural hazard or climatic extreme into a catastrophe. For reducing disaster risk and human well-being there has been increased national as well as international attention on the role of healthy ecosystems. Scientists have explored and identified profound linkages between faulty environmental management practices and increasing disaster risks. This understanding so far has been crucial to address and manage disaster intensity and frequency that augments environmental damage affecting quality of life. Nature based Solutions (NbS) can be considered as a broad overarching concept and approach that substantially addresses disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.
Local and indigenous communities in India for millennia have been informally using NbS to address DRR and climate change adaptation. In modern times NbS must be considered as a work-in-progress, as its’ solicitations are still being established and verified. Evolution in the paradigms of reducing disaster risks and adapting to the impacts of climate change in a framework that is shifting from ‘response and relief’ to ‘mitigation and preparedness’ has invited lot of focus to NbS. Enhancing resilience against uncertainties using Nature based Solutions (NbS) is less of a choice but a compulsion. Despite of growing international support for NbS, the reality is that are not yet been mainstreamed in the existing disaster risk management policy and practice (Dhyani and Thummarukudy, 2016). Developments in DRR arena post 2015 after the three major global agreements (Sendai Framework for DRR 2015, Paris Agreement 2015 and SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) 2015 have been negotiated and agreed upon. While, NbS is a fairly new concept it can be well defined as an umbrella term that covers an array of environmental protection and management approaches to address increasing global disaster and climate risk challenges (Figure 1). NbS can be defined “as a way to mitigate and adapt to climate change, secure water, food and energy supplies, reduce poverty and drive economic growth” (Shacham et al., 2016).
European Commission expressed NbS as “actions which are inspired by, supported by or copied from nature” (EC, 2015). IUCN definition for NbS reflects, “Actions to protect, sustainably manage and restore natural or modified ecosystems that address societal challenges (e.g. climate change, food and water security or natural disasters) effectively and adaptively, while simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits”. While another definition says NbS is “Transition to use ecosystem services with reduced inputs of non-renewable natural capital and enhanced investment in renewable natural processes”.
Disaster, Ecosystems and Society Linkages
Terrestrial and marine ecosystems function as a global carbon sinks, absorbing approximately 50% of total annual emissions from fossil fuels. Managed healthy ecosystems deliver natural protection for many natural hazards. Landslides, floods, desertification, tsunamis, flash floods, forest fire and drought are just a few examples of such natural disasters. Impact of forest degradation results in massive landslides and other disasters every year (Figure 1).Disaster shows socio-ecological linkages that may further aggravate long term societal risks (Dhyani and Dhyani, 2016).Deforestation affects flow of provisioning (fodder, fuel wood etc.) and regulating (soil erosion control) ecosystem services (for both upstream and downstream people).
Biodiversity conservation and ensuring the flow of ecosystem services are basis for planning solutions to catastrophes, related to climate change, reducing disaster risks, alleviation of poverty and promotion of green economy. NbS addresses several policy objectives and is more action-oriented. NbS bring multiple co-benefits some of these benefits are reducing costs, generating more livelihood and alternative livelihood opportunities that develop into green economy etc. However, NbS requires a lot of understanding during implementation to address knowledge gaps, managing the trade-offs, implementing successful on ground applications, including natural aspects and finances of NbS. NbS are here and they make a perfect short term as well as long term sustainability and financial sense by providing co-benefits and multiple benefits beyond climate change mitigation and adaptation. NbS approaches can include activities that reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD, REDD+), promoting climate resilience through adaptive agriculture, developing carbon sinks along coasts to harness the power of ecosystems for climate change adaptation. Ecosystems are natural safeguards and are more effective and inexpensive options than to maintain conventional engineering approaches, viz. concrete protection walls on river banks to reduce flood risks.Similarly, catchment area treatment by plantation measure to improve water infiltration for replenishing ground water sources and aquifers is cheaper and more sustainable than constructing a new water supply system.
NbS and Socio-ecological-economic opportunities
NbS have broad portfolio and provides diverse solutions to address important global challenges. Community centric, participatory initiatives to co-design, co-create and co-manage (‘co-co-co’) are promoted in NbS hence, NbS stands different from more conventional, conservative, and top-down initiative. Integrated governance-based approach for developing and managing NbS are preferred. The goal to strengthen economic growth and sustainability using NbS has found special place in European Commission and IUCN documents (Shacham et al., 2016). NbS supports replicability options and opportunities of its solutions. NbS approaches cover urban regeneration and human well-being, watershed management, coastal resilience, enhancing the insurance value of ecosystems, sustainable use of matter and energy, and increased carbon sink potential. Report by the European Commission’s expert group lists 310 actions (e.g. Protection and expansion of forests to absorb gaseous pollutants, plantation of wind breaks for soil conservation, conservation of urban green spaces and planning green roofs for various co-benefits viz. promotion of biodiversity, carbon storage and flash flood management) as NbS examples. NbS is a proven strategy to not only to reduce disaster risks but also provide variety of ecosystem services and nature’s contribution to people for human well-being (Figure 2). NbS implementation is cost effective and also involves people and communities hence, has potential to realize Aichi Targets for nature conservation and localizing and achieving SDGs, 2015.
Nature-based Solutions (NbS) need to move from concept to implementations
Well-managed, healthy and diverse ecosystems are crucial for existence and supporting human well-being, resulting in resilient and prosperous society. NbS facilitates judicious utilization of natural resources for human wellbeing with minimum impact on surrounding environment. NbS are “no-regret” approaches as they combine major global challenges and also help securing livelihood opportunities for locals. ‘Quest for Sustainability’ is a significant apprehension in disaster management because of the enhanced understanding of ‘disasters’ as environmental progressions rather than ‘environmental extremes’. Well-managed, healthy ecosystems function as a critical natural arrangement that safeguards societies. NbS puts categorical prominence on mainstreaming biodiversity conservation with targets for sustainable and climate resilient progress, and suggests advanced, implementable ‘solutions’. NbS planning and design promotes identification of the issue and better and holistic understanding of the ecosystem (Figure 2). By integrating societal needs along with natural processes, we can address grass root issues and root causes that can help to achieve additional values and benefits for human well-being, resilient society as well as ecosystems. Designing NbS is an iterative process and several cycles of planning and design need to be followed.
Ecosystem Resilience, Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptations
Insignificant land management, unsustainable manipulation of natural resources and degraded ecosystems are major emphasized features and considerably debated fundamental drivers of disaster risk. As environmental impressions of disasters are being acknowledged nations are unambiguously demanding to reinforce the safeguard and management of ecosystems for building resilience to disasters and climate change. Ecosystem resilience plays a fundamental dual role, both as a strategy for climate resilience building against climate mitigation and adaptation. Increasingly, hybrid grey-green approaches that optimize ecosystem functions by inclusive engineering solutions are being implemented to serve as protective barriers to local livelihoods, biodiversity conservation, and carbon sequestration. Some of the green resolutions are now applied in urban provision for water conservation as effective, flexible, economical, enduring and versatile than conservative ‘grey infrastructure’ preferences.
Opportunities and key gaps
2015 was a critical year in terms of foremost international treaties and expanding worldwide acknowledgment of NbS. The year presented a historic and unprecedented opportunity to embark on taking new options and opportunities for improving human wellbeing and also the present ecosystems’ state. All these historical agreements and frameworks recognize the role of ecosystem as a crosscutting concern in disaster risk reduction. while, the year 2020 presented unprecedented challenges to humanity due to Covid 19 and it is expected that further degradation and deforestation might lead to more such pandemics in future. UN Decade on restoration 2021-2030 warrants immediate attention and efforts from national governments to reduce, halt and restore biodiversity and ecosystem services. NbS approaches not only address human needs but also make positive contributions for meeting the various restoration targets. In one fifth of the earth’s population, South Asia has a critical role as well as a lot of opportunities in the global achievement of the promises of Paris climate agreement and SDGs through NbS. The pace of development coupled with climate change is steering us to adopt different approaches and requires innovative institutional, business, governance, and finance models, approaches and frameworks. It also involves working with a multidisciplinary and multi sectorial approach. India has also agreed on the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) and target of reducing the emission of Green House Gases (GHG) to 35% by 2030 (India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution: Working Towards Climate Justice). Indian policies documents have inclusion of many NbS approaches in core. Indian Government has been promoting NbS through National Action Plan for Climate Change (NAPCC, 2008) that includes National Mission on Sustaining Himalayan Ecosystem, Sustainable Agriculture, Green India Mission, Water Mission, Clean Energy, Sustainable habitat etc.
Mainstreaming and scaling up NbS has been less than what was expected. In-sufficient implementation efforts are also due to less interest of engineers who are less proficient in ecological approaches and have more focus on providing quick but short term solutions using grey instead of green approaches. This lacuna in application reduces chances of further replication and further implementation. There is vital need of demonstrating the societal benefits by using NbS applications, a lot of case studies are already available locally we need to showcase them and build up on them for up scaling. Introducing different capacity building approaches for NbS and increasing the reach of existing courses by involving universities and private sector. Facilitate dialogue and networking on increasing awareness through standalone courses, online courses and linking up with ongoing efforts. Dialogue facilitation on increasing co-operation for NbS by discussing the need of the key policy stimulus, potential partners’ availability of international support and partnerships and also using national missions for mainstreaming NbS. Mainstreaming NbS in relevant national policies and plans as a compulsory approach can help to reduce disaster risks in long run. Using new generation tools for integrated watershed management, REDD, REDD+ that include community for plantation and conservation to increase sink potential, Ecosystem Protecting Infrastructures and Communities (EPIC) and Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) can help to achieve long-term benefits.
Way forward
It is already recognized that there are noteworthy rolling leads of NbS in the country available with communities, corporate systems including the extensive network and presence of various academic and R&D organizations. NbS has a huge potential and future for India to not only in addressing DRR and CCA but also localizing and achieving SDG, 2015, Aichi Targets, Bonn Challenge targets, UN Decade on Restoration 2021-2030 and also Paris promises, 2015. There are variety of solutions and ongoing practices that are available for different climatic and non-climatic challenges with local communities residing in different agro-climatic zones of India that are efficient and important NbS solutions. NbS needs to be customized as per area, local/regional issues of disaster intensity and frequency. India specific standards, criteria and indicators need to developed for different expectations and agro-climatic zones. A well-coordinated and mainstreamed effort to integrate NbS in different policy framework and practices can happen by focusing on convergence of policies that stretches across different government line departments, NGOs etc. Required, adequate and sufficient finances and funds using PPP (public private partnerships) model and moreover, constant determination to engage disaster hit communities in the project planning, execution and decision making process will help in NbS mainstreaming. Potential benefits of NbS based partnership with corporate, industry and private sector can help identifying potential risks, opportunities, sharing new knowledge, practice for wider application and endorsement. PPP and CSR (corporate social responsibility) inclusive models of NbS application can help improving relationships among Govt., NGOs, Pvt. Sector and academia working in rural as well as urban ecosystems.
References
Cohen-Shacham, E., Walters, G., Janzen, C. and Maginnis, S. (eds.) 2016. Nature-based Solutions to address global societal challenges. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. xiii + 97pp.
Dhyani Shalini, Gupta Anil Kumar, Karki Madhav (Eds). 2020. Nature-based Solutions for Resilient Ecosystems and Societies. Springer Nature Publishers (Under the Series Disaster Resilience and Green Growth)
Dhyani, S. and Dhyani, D., 2016. Strategies for Reducing Deforestation and Disaster Risk: Lessons from Garhwal Himalaya, India. Ecosystem-Based Disaster Risk Reduction and Adaptation in Practice by Fabrice G. Renaud, Karen Sudmeier-Rieux, Marisol Estrella, Udo Nehren (eds.) 507-528. Springer International Publishing. ISBN 978-3-319-43631-9.
Dhyani, S. and Thummarukudy. M. 2016. Ecological Engineering for Disaster Risk Reduction. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 23 (19): 20049-20052.
Dhyani, S., Lahoti, S., Khare, S., Paras, P. and Verma, P. 2018. Ecosystem based Disaster Risk Reduction approaches (EbDRR) as a prerequisite for inclusive urban transformation of Nagpur City, India. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction.
European Commission and Directorate-General for Research and Innovation. 2015. Towards and EU Research and Innovation policy agenda for Nature-Based Solutions & Re-Naturing Cities. Brussels, Belgium: European Commission. doi: 10.2777/765301.
By Shalini Dhyani1,2 1CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute,
Nehru Marg Nagpur, India
2IUCN Commission on Ecosystems Management (CEM), Gland Switzerland Email: [email protected]
