Interventions for resilient nature-based solutions: An ecological perspective

Nature-based solutions (NbS) have emerged at the science, policy and practitioner interface to address environmental challenges facing society. NbS involve people working with nature to protect, restore or manage ecosystems. Yet NbS vary to the extent they support biological diversity which has implications for ecological resilience. We reviewed how ecological resilience has been conceptualised in the NbS literature. The literature included reference to both resilience to specific disturbances and general resilience to future environmental change. We found reporting of resilience mechanisms was limited except for afforestation efforts where there is increasing recognition of the role of species diversity in contributing to resilience. Reporting was limited for resilience mechanisms that operate within species and populations (e.g. genetic diversity) and at the landscape scale (e.g. connectivity). Resistance was overlooked despite the prevalence of NbS intended to address climate change. From the broader ecological literature, we distilled resilience mechanisms that have been identified for native and experimental ecosystems and suggested interventions for the emergence of resilience mechanisms in NbS. Synthesis. Interventions to conserve biodiversity such as retaining and restoring ecosystems, are critical given that biodiversity, within and across scales of biological organisation, underpins several ecological resilience mechanisms in NbS.

Details

Title: Interventions for resilient nature-based solutions: An ecological perspective
Authors/Creators: Rachel Standish - Murdoch University, School of Environmental and Conservation Sciences
Tina Parkhurst - Murdoch University, Centre for Terrestrial Ecosystem Science and Sustainability
Publication Details: Journal of Ecology, Early View
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Ecological Society.
Identifiers: 991005695568807891
Copyright: © 2024 The Author(s).
Murdoch Affiliation: Centre for Terrestrial Ecosystem Science and Sustainability; School of Environmental and Conservation Sciences
Resource Type: Journal article

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

Source: InCites

Metrics

5 File views/ downloads

44 Record Views

12 Times Cited - Web of Science

InCites Highlights

These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output

Citation topics: 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology; 3.40 Forestry; 3.40.86 Plant Communities
Web Of Science research areas: Ecology; Plant Sciences
ESI research areas: Environment/Ecology