In response to the urgent need for effective climate change adaptation strategies, a call is underway for research contributions to a special issue on Nature-based Solutions (NbS). The UNEA defines NbS as ‘actions to protect, conserve, restore, sustainably use and manage natural or modified terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems, which address social, economic and environmental challenges effectively and adaptively, while simultaneously providing human well-being, ecosystem services and resilience and biodiversity benefits.’ Recognising climate change adaptation as a pivotal societal challenge, this special issue aims to highlight NbS as a key lever for addressing both climate change and biodiversity degradation. The intricate link between these challenges underscores the importance of high-quality NbS in tackling climate-related issues.
This call is open to researchers working in various ecosystems, including urban, cropland, marine, coastal, mountainous, forest, rivers, lakes, and wetlands. NbS can mitigate social and economic impacts of threats such as changes in the water cycle, sea level rise, temperature increases, plant stress, and pests. The complexity and cross-sectoral nature of NbS emphasise the necessity for multi-level and cross-sectoral collaboration for success. To address the diversity and complexity of NbS, this special issue encourages contributions that adopt systematic, multidisciplinary, and multi-scale approaches. Success hinges on collaborative efforts spanning scientific, societal, political, economic, and cultural fields. The collection seeks manuscripts that assess the ecosystem services provided by NbS for climate adaptation purposes, showcasing case studies, methodologies, and tools to evaluate sustainability in a resilient framework.
Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit their manuscripts following the submission guidelines. The collection welcomes articles through the journal’s standard peer-review process, with additions made as they are published. For more information and to submit, please visit here. Seize the opportunity to contribute to the discourse on NbS for climate change adaptation, shaping a more resilient and sustainable future.