Unlocking Nature for Disaster Resilience: A Policy Guide to Enable Nature-Based Solutions

Nature-based solutions (NBS) can help countries facing complex climate-related challenges to address disaster risks while providing important socioeconomic benefits. This guide focuses on NBS for climate resilience and disaster risk reduction (DRR). As such, traditional conservation and restoration practices are also considered NBS if they aim for resilience or DRR while also caring for human well-being.

NBS can complement or substitute grey infrastructure and provide multiple benefits, often at lower costs. Investments in NBS can generate employment both during implementation and over the long term, particularly in ecosystem restoration, urban green infrastructure, coastal protection, and DRR activities. Successful implementation and scaling of NBS requires supportive policy frameworks that prioritize the environment and ecosystem-based approaches in multiple sectors.

Aligning NBS efforts with broader development goals, such as climate action, DRR, sustainable development, food security, or infrastructure resilience, can facilitate the integration of natural solutions into national cross-sector agendas.