Catchment News

Home News Science for Environment Policy Future Brief: The solution is in nature

Science for Environment Policy Future Brief: The solution is in nature

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) work with nature to benefit both natural ecosystems and the people that depend on them. By putting nature at the centre, NbS address a range of societal challenges: protecting, sustainably managing or restoring natural or modified ecosystems and supporting their health, function and biodiversity. The research collated in this brief confirms that NbS deliver simultaneously multiple benefits and shows the wide-ranging beneficial impacts of scaling up their implementation across Europe.

The science is clear: the biodiversity crisis, the climate crisis and the health crisis are interdependent. Political leaders from across the world, representing 80+ countries and the European Union, have also recognised this connection in the Leaders’ Pledge for Nature. Climate change accelerates the destruction of the natural world through extreme weather events such as droughts, flooding and wildfires. Biodiversity loss and unsustainable use of nature, driven by intense anthropogenic activities, in turn, reduce resilience to and further drive climate change. But just as the crises are linked, so are the solutions (European Commission, 2020a).

Nature is a vital ally in the human struggle with climate change. Nature regulates the climate, and Nature-based Solutions are essential for addressing global challenges such as reducing carbon emissions. Planting trees and deploying green infrastructure will help to cool urban areas and mitigate the impact of natural disasters (European Commission Biodiversity Strategy 2030, 2020).

Click here to read the Future Brief

Nature Based Solutions – our vital ally against biodiversity loss and climate change.

Infographics

These two new infographic posters showcase the range of benefits from Nature-based Solutions and with a specific focus on green roofs.

Learn more:

Future Briefs are a series of horizon-scanning policy briefs, which provide an accessible overview of emerging areas of science and technology.

www.ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/research/newsalert/future_briefs.htm

About author

EPA Catchments Unit

Administrator

The EPA Catchments Unit is based in Dublin, and the team is involved with catchment science, chemistry, ecology, hydromorphology, modelling, Geographic Information Systems and planning. We work with the wider EPA, all of our local authorities, the Local Authority Waters and Communities Office, the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, and other public bodies and Departments to ensure we have the best available data and information about our catchments.

Who is involved?
Quite simply, everyone in Ireland has a role to play. This can be from something as simple as making sure you don’t pollute your local stream, or a local community working together to establish a Rivers Trust to enhance the rivers and lakes in their area, to a Government Department or Agency helping a Minister implement a new policy to help protect and enhance all our water bodies.

This website has been developed and is maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency, and is a collaboration between the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Local Authority Waters Programme.

Local Authority Waters Programme

The Local Authority Waters Programme coordinates the efforts of local authorities and other public bodies in the implementation of the River Basin Management Plan, and supports local community and stakeholder involvement in managing our natural waters, for everyone’s benefit.

Environmental Protection Agency

The EPA is responsible for coordinating the monitoring, assessment and reporting on the status of our 4,842 water bodies, looking at trends and changes, determining which waterbodies are at risk and what could be causing this, and drafting environmental objectives for each.

Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

The Department is responsible for making sure that the right policies, regulations and resources are in place to implement the Water Framework Directive, and developing a River Basin Management Plan and Programme of Measures to protect and restore our waters.