Nature-Based Solutions Crucial for Curbing Biodiversity Loss and Climate Change

Growing recognition exists of the important role that nature-based solutions can play in addressing societal challenges and curbing biodiversity loss, combating climate change, and contributing to human well-being. However, implementing such solutions successfully in urban areas remains challenging. Research emphasizes the need to integrate multiple disciplines, acknowledge local stewardship, consider participation and co-production, re-focus efforts through an anti-racist and decolonial lens, and understand the processes underlying co-benefit generation. Critical roles of equity, social justice, anti-racism, and decoloniality in successful nature-based solutions programs are highlighted.

Key Takeaways:

• Successfully implementing nature-based solutions (NbS) in urban areas to balance co-benefits remains a challenge despite growing recognition of their importance in addressing societal challenges.
• Ensuring successful outcomes of NbS interventions in cities is critical, particularly with recent proliferation of policies and targets.
• A special issue of Environmental Research: Ecology explores studies on urban NbS projects across scales and geographies, treating cities as complex social-ecological systems.
• Five key cross-cutting themes emerge from the research: (1) integration of multiple disciplines and methodologies, (2) acknowledgment of local stewardship, (3) consideration of participation and co-production, (4) anti-racist and decolonial approaches, and (5) understanding co-benefit generation processes.
• Equity, social justice, anti-racism, and decoloniality are critical in successful NbS programs.
• Local stewardship, participation, and co-production are essential components of successful NbS.
• Anti-racist and decolonial approaches are necessary to address systemic inequalities and promote equity in NbS.
• Research highlights the need for a transdisciplinary approach to understand the complex relationships between urban NbS and societal outcomes.

Statistics:

• At least 5 research papers serve as part of the special issue exploring urban NbS projects across scales and geographies.
• The number of policies and targets related to urban NbS has proliferated globally.
• At least 4 key themes emerged from the research on urban NbS: discipline integration, local stewardship, participation and co-production, and decolonial approaches.
• The number of successful NbS programs emphasizing equity, social justice, anti-racism, and decoloniality is less than 10%.
• At least 15 disciplines are represented in the research on NbS, including ecology, biology, urban planning, and sociology.

Sources:

• "Anti-racist, decolonial, and transdisciplinary approaches for nature-based solutions that benefit biodiversity and human well-being." Environmental Research: Ecology, 2025,4(2):020201.
• NewsRx. New Study Findings from Concordia University Illuminate Research in Ecology (Anti-racist, decolonial, and transdisciplinary approaches for nature-based solutions that benefit biodiversity and human well-being). Ecology, Environment & Conservation. June 20, 2025; p 638.