What Are Nature-Based Solutions?
An Introduction to Nature-Based Solutions (NbS)
Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) are strategies that use natural processes to address challenges that effect the environment, society, and the economy. Engineers design these solutions to work with ecosystems, while providing benefits for people and wildlife. As concerns rise about climate change, biodiversity loss, and urbanization, NbS will become critical to sustainable development and environmental resilience.
Examples of NbS include restoring wetlands to improve water quality, planting trees in urban areas to reduce pollution and provide shade and preserving forests to protect biodiversity. NbS work with nature to build resilience and breathe life into the environment, unlike traditional infrastructure projects.
MAGNA is very excited to be sharing our version of NbS with Canada, in the form of MAGNA Stormpark™ designs, and the MAGNA Biofilter Wetland System (MBWS™). Because NbS are not as common as traditional infrastructure, we thought we would share a little primer on NbS and why they are so great!
The Core Principles of Nature-Based Solutions
Sustainability: NbS aim for longevity and resilience, ensuring ecosystems and the designed solutions can sustain themselves over extended periods of time.
Co-Benefits: NbS offer a range of benefits to communities, environments, and economies including drought mitigation, biodiversity enhancement, improved health, and acting as a carbon sink.
Integration with Nature: NbS are designed to work alongside nature’s processes, and they help preserve ecosystems and their existing benefits.
To create an NbS, an engineer must keep all three of these principles in mind to set their designs apart from a traditional engineering approach. Looking for an example? In flood mitigation, a traditional engineer might propose a conventional flood barrier. This barrier would protect the community in the short-term. A long-term solution to the same problem could be restoring the natural wetland, which would mitigate flooding while providing habitat for native wildlife. The NbS achieves multiple benefits through a single solution.
Types of Nature-Based Solutions
Reconstructing ecosystems is one kind of nature-based solution.
Restoration Projects
One important type of NbS is the reconstruction of degraded ecosystems. These ecosystems—whether they are wetlands, forests, riverbanks, or something else entirely—are essential to mitigating environmental concerns. An example of this is replanting forests in deforested areas. Doing this can help stabilize soil, sequester carbon, and restore habitats for wildlife. Similarly, wetland restoration can help improve water quality while providing natural flood control.
Green Infrastructure
Green infrastructure is crucial in urban areas. Various NbS can reduce heat, manage stormwater, and improve air quality. Green roofs can absorb rainwater, lower temperatures, and reduce building energy needs. Urban green spaces also enhance communities by providing access to nature, increasing urban biodiversity, and enhancing the mental health of the residents.
Natural Resource Management
NbS use sustainable management practices in agriculture and forestry to conserve biodiversity while reducing environmental impacts. A technique like agroforestry (integrating trees with agricultural lands) can help prevent soil erosion, maintain soil fertility, and provide habitat for local wildlife.
The important thing to remember is that every NbS must be tailored to the unique needs and characteristics of the environment, meaning each one is a fit-for-purpose design. At MAGNA, we are excited by all the possibilities that NbS offer us.
Aiding urban biodiversity with NbS does not just help the environment, it also helps the community in which the solution resides.
Benefits of Nature-Based Solutions
Aiding urban biodiversity with NbS does not just help the environment, it also helps the community in which the solution resides.
Climate Adaptation and Mitigation: NbS The environment plays a critical role in adapting to and mitigating climate change. NbS allows engineers to harness that power. Planting forests, for example, absorb carbon dioxide, helping to reduce greenhouse gases. Preserving mangroves protects coastal areas from storm surges and rising sea levels.
Biodiversity Conservation: By creating or restoring habitats, NbS enhance biodiversity. Biodiverse ecosystems are more resilient to environmental changes. This helps the local plants, animals, microbes, and humans.
Health and Well-being for Communities: When human beings have access to green spaces, both their mental and physical health tends to improve. This is because urban greening projects reduce pollution, create recreational spaces, and contribute to lower stress and anxiety levels.
Cost-effectiveness: Compared to traditional infrastructure projects, NbS can be more cost-effective. Wetland restoration can provide natural flood control and water purification, sometimes at a fraction of the cost of what a dam or water treatment plant would cost a community.
These four benefits will make NbS an attractive option for many policymakers, as they address multiple goals through a single investment.
Examples of Nature-Based Solutions Around the World
Singapore’s Green Roof Initiative
Singapore has transformed itself into a "City in a Garden" by integrating extensive green roofs and vertical gardens. This green infrastructure combats urban heat, reduces stormwater runoff, and improves air quality.
Norway’s Coastal Restoration Projects
To protect against coastal erosion and rising sea levels, Norway has restored dunes and wetlands along its coastline. These natural buffers protect communities from extreme weather and provide habitats for local wildlife.
Brazil’s Reforestation Efforts in the Amazon
Brazil’s initiatives to reforest parts of the Amazon aim to preserve biodiversity, stabilize rainfall patterns, and absorb carbon dioxide. These projects are crucial not only for Brazil but for the entire planet, as the Amazon plays a vital role in regulating the global climate.
By highlighting global examples, we see the versatility of NbS in addressing region-specific challenges, from climate adaptation to urban pollution.
Examples of Nature-Based Solutions at MAGNA
We are proud that our MAGNA Stormpark™ designs offer a place for local wildlife to make their homes.
The MAGNA Stormpark™
MAGNA has developed our MAGNA Stormpark™, a specialized stormwater management system that uses a network of constructed ponds and wetlands to treat stormwater to irrigation quality. The resulting green infrastructure designs create a natural habitat for local wildlife, a local amenity for the community, and allows the community to offset its need for potable water. A MAGNA Stormpark™ can help communities to become more drought resilient.
Willows being used in the first MBWS™.
The MAGNA Biofilter Wetland System (MBWS™)
The MAGNA Biofilter Wetland System (MBWS™) is an initiative to use engineered wetlands to treat wastewater. The system uses two types of subsurface wetlands to treat water, before discharging it out into the environment. The treated water can be used for irrigation, much like the MAGNA Stormpark™, creating drought resiliency for a community. Other benefits of the MBWS™ design include promoting local biodiversity of plants, insects, and microorganisms.
What are the Challenges of Using Nature-Based Solutions?
Policy Barriers: NbS are not as commonly used, which results in NbS engineering firms, like MAGNA facing regulatory hurdles from time to time. This is because many policymakers favour traditional land development and infrastructure practices, as these practices are a known quantity.
Testing: Each new nature-based solution must undergo rigorous testing. Governments must see the data to ensure that the system performs equally or better than the existing traditional solutions. In the case of wastewater solutions, the government must also ensure the solutions are safe for the surrounding community.
Funding: NbS can require a significant investment from a community at the beginning of a project. Securing funding through grants can be challenging, especially for large-scale projects. However, after the solution is commissioned the long-term cost savings and ecosystem benefits make these investments worthwhile.
Public Awareness and Buy-In: Each new NbS relies on the surrounding community’s support and awareness. Sometimes educating the public on the benefits of NbS can be a challenge. This is especially true in areas where green spaces or the environment may not be seen as a priority.
Scalability: While a select number of NbS are effective on a small scale, it can be difficult to scale the size of the project. This is because they may need to encompass large areas or entire cities, and the implantation of these large-scale NbS projects can be complex and require careful planning.
NbS can help society face the oncoming environmental challenges. That is why MAGNA is working with governments at the provincial and municipal levels to work towards supportive policies. Additionally, our team is well versed at securing grant funding and increasing public awareness to expand NbS adoption.
Conclusion
Nature-based solutions are an excellent way to build resilience to environmental challenges like flooding and drought, all while enhancing biodiversity and community well-being. Each one shows that sustainable development can partner with natural processes, offering a more to comprehensive approach to our biggest challenges. Supporting NbS initiatives allows society to invest in a future where nature is a partner in creating a more sustainable world.
The future of NbS is extremely exciting. Slowly, the world is recognizing their value. It is crucial that companies like MAGNA continue to research innovative green infrastructure solutions, as well as drive policy forward.