Syllabus

GS3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment.

Context: 

Recently, a new study, published in May 2025 in the journal Discover Cities, explains about role of Nature-based solutions (NBS) in bringing back nature into cities.

More on the News:

• The study is part of the REGREEN project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 program.
• The researchers looked at how three cities used NBS: the Paris Region in France, Aarhus in Denmark, and Velika Gorica in Croatia. 
• The researchers found that NBS works best when they are part of big plans that link climate, health, and infrastructure and not small one-time projects. 
• However, the  study also stresses that NBS should not be reduced to green-washing infrastructure projects.

Nature Based Solutions (NBS):

• Nature-based solutions are tangible, multi-functional, nature-integrated policy interventions that restore or enhance ecosystems to address societal challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, urban heat and flooding by greening schools or restoring rivers and wetlands, or urban rewilding.
• NBS are not one-off cosmetic fixes like just planting trees without strategic planning. They are not like market-based biodiversity, offsetting schemes or biodiversity credits which often aim to compensate rather than restore nature.
• It includes things like turning empty schoolyards into green spaces, planting forests, making space for rivers to flow naturally, and using green roofs. 
• They help cool cities, reduce floods, improve health, and bring back biodiversity all the different plants, animals, and insects that make nature strong.

Key Findings of the Study:

• Integrated Planning is crucial: For example In Paris, concrete schoolyards were turned into green spaces with native plants, while residents initiated community gardens and greening efforts independently.
• Nature-based solutions (NBS) do more than beautify, they restore vital life like bees, frogs, and birds that support ecosystems.

Challenges in implementation: 

• Many leaders only look for quick wins. They don’t plan for the long term.
• Funding often stops after the first phase. 
• Rules around construction and buying materials still favor concrete over trees.

Key Recommendations to Adopt Nature-Based Solutions:

• Fund long-term projects, not just pilots. Biodiversity takes time to grow.
• Support community-led nature efforts. The best ideas often come from the ground up.
• Break the silos. Planning, climate, and nature teams must work together, not against each other.
• Train leaders to be bold. It takes guts to prioritize birds over buildings, and wetlands over roads. 

Mains Question

Q. Discuss the role of Nature-Based Solutions in urban planning and climate change mitigation. Highlight the challenges and opportunities in implementing NBS in Indian cities.