"NbS facts and figures" refers to evidence-based information about the benefits, features, and outcomes associated with nature-based solutions (NbS) to address environmental, societal, and financial challenges. They might include quantifiable data, statistics, and information related to the effectiveness and impact of specific NbS and how they contribute to overall environmental sustainability.
This page contains a first prototype of the NbS Facts web-tool. Further updates will include facility for users to contribute their own facts to the database.
Displaying 1 - 50 of 237
| Definition | Theme | Priority Themes | Ecosystems | Target Sector | Societal challenges | Country | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The effectiveness of SUDS for urban water management depends on the type and design of the systems and the local conditions. Small-scale systems have been found to decrease runoff by 30-65% for porous pavements, up to 100% for rain gardens or up to 56% for infiltration trenches. | Urban | Sustainable urban and regional transformation | Urban ecosystems | Local and sub-national governments and their public authorities |
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Not found | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772411522000301 |
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| Like inland wetlands, mangrove forests are a globally important carbon sink, with high soil and aboveground carbon densities that often exceed 1,000 tons CO2 per ha. For example, for Indonesian mangroves, on average, carbon density is estimated at 1,083 tons CO2 per ha (Mudiyarso et al. 2015). Mangrove restoration, particularly involving the establishment of mangrove trees, is highly productive and results in high removal rates estimated at 23.1 ton CO2 per ha per year during the first 20 years of growth and remaining high at 10.5 tons CO2 per ha per year, during the lifetime of mangrove stands. | Mangrove | Biodiversity enhancement and ecosystem restoration | Coastal, shelf and open ocean | National and EU policy-makers |
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Indonesia | https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/c33e226c-2fbb-… |
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| Planted forests and woodlots were found to have the highest CO2 removal rates, ranging from 4.5 to 40.7 t CO2 ha−1 year−1 during the first 20 years of growth. | Green corridor | Biodiversity enhancement and ecosystem restoration | Urban ecosystems | Local and sub-national governments and their public authorities |
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Not found | https://cbmjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13021-018-0110-8 |
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| Nature-based solutions are realistic and economically adequate options for ClimateAction, providing over 30% of mitigation potential and offering scalable solutions to increase resilience and adaptation. | NbS | Climate change adaptation, mitigation and climate resilience | Urban ecosystems | NBS investors and entrepreneurs |
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Not found | https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/nature-based-solutions-in-europe |
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| On average, coastal habitats reduce wave heights between 35% and 71%. Coral reefs reduce wave heights by 70%, salt-marshes by 72%, mangroves by 31% and seagrass/kelp beds by 36%. | Coastal | Climate change adaptation, mitigation and climate resilience | Coastal, shelf and open ocean | National and EU policy-makers |
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Not found | https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.01547… |
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| Rivers and streams renaturation is an NBS delivering multiple benefits. The renaturation of a river in an urban park in Singapore increased the presence of biodiversity by 30%. No wildlife was introduced to the park, but the presence of the naturalized river has seen the park’s biodiversity increased by 30%. A total of 66 species of wildflower, 59 species of birds and 22 species of dragonfly have been since identified. | River | Biodiversity enhancement and ecosystem restoration | Urban ecosystems | Local and sub-national governments and their public authorities |
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Singapore | ||
| Lisbon's 41,247 street trees are providing services valued at $8.4 million annually, while $1.9 million is spent maintaining these trees. For every $1 invested in tree management, residents receive $4.48 in energy savings, cleaner air, increased property values, reduced stormwater runoff and CO2. | Urban | Sustainable finance, investment and just transition | Urban ecosystems | NBS investors and entrepreneurs |
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Portugal | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1618866710000841 |
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| When controlling for watersheds size and percent impervious surface cover, watersheds with greater amounts of SGI have less flashy hydrology, with 44% lower peak runoff, 26% less frequent runoff events, and 26% less variable runoff. Watersheds with more SGI also show 44% less NO3− and 48% less total nitrogen exports compared to watersheds with minimal SGI. | Urban | Sustainable urban and regional transformation | Urban ecosystems | National and EU policy-makers |
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Not found | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969716310312?via… |
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| Constructed wetlands are multifunctional nature-based solutions that have a water retention capacity between 30% and 88%. | Wetland | Climate change adaptation, mitigation and climate resilience | Inland wetland | National and EU policy-makers |
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Not found | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772411522000301 |
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| Rivers can mitigate urban heat. The cooling effect of the Ota River, Hiroshima, Japan was found to reach up to 5 °C directly above the river and propagated nearly 100 m from the river banks. | River | Climate change adaptation, mitigation and climate resilience | Rivers, lakes and ponds | National and EU policy-makers |
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Japan | - https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/36507 |
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| Several studies demonstrate that green roof temperatures can be 30-40°F lower than that of conventional roofs. | Green roof | Sustainable urban and regional transformation | Urban ecosystems | Local and sub-national governments and their public authorities |
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Not found | https://www.epa.gov/heatislands/using-green-roofs-reduce-heat-islands:~…. |
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| The potential for green corridors to regulate heat depends largely on the height and density of tree canopies present within the corridor. A tree canopy reduces the temperature in the shade by 1–5°C compared to an open area, and by 11–17°C compared to a parking lot. |
Green corridor | Climate change adaptation, mitigation and climate resilience | Urban ecosystems | Local and sub-national governments and their public authorities |
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Not found | ||
| Conserving and restoring natural habitats and improving landmanagement could contribute to about 37% of the global climatechange mitigation needed up to 2030 to keep climate warning below 2°C. | NbS | Climate change adaptation, mitigation and climate resilience | All | Local and sub-national governments and their public authorities |
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Not found | ||
| NbS for infrastructure could cost 50% less than grey infrastructure alternatives alone and deliver 28% in added value such as carbon sequestration, cleaner air and water, better health, recreational services, jobs and opportunities for growth in other sectors (e.g. real estate and tourism). | Infrastructure | Sustainable finance, investment and just transition | Urban ecosystems | NBS investors and entrepreneurs |
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Not found | https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/01/biodivercities-infrastructure-ci… |
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| Pollutants removal by bioretention processes can go up to 69% for Nitrogen, 80% for Phosphorus, and 86% for suspended solids. | Biorentention areas | Biodiversity enhancement and ecosystem restoration | Grassland | National and EU policy-makers |
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Not found | https://chesapeakestormwater.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/3768-7.pdf |
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| The cost of building a green roof amounts to about 1.3% of a building‘s overall construction costs. In multi-storey residential buildings this share can sink to as little as 0.4 % of overall construction costs. When considering life-cycle costs, both black roofs (i.e. without greening) and green roofs have similar costs over a 40-year period. | Green roof | Sustainable finance, investment and just transition | Urban ecosystems | Local and sub-national governments and their public authorities |
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Not found | https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333210433_Hamburg%27s_Green_Ro… |
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| NatureBasedSolutions can mitigate the urban heat island (UHI) effect For example, a 10% increase in the tree canopy cover can reduce the maximum midday air temperature by about 1°C. | Heat | Climate change adaptation, mitigation and climate resilience | Urban ecosystems | Local and sub-national governments and their public authorities |
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Not found | ||
| Restoration of 350 million hectares of degraded land between now and 2030 could generate USD 9 trillion in ecosystem services and take an additional 13-26 gigatons of greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. | Ecosystem services | Sustainable finance, investment and just transition | All | NBS investors and entrepreneurs |
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Not found | https://www.fao.org/in-action/forest-landscape-restoration-mechanism/ne… |
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| Using naturebasedsolutions in agriculture can reduce cultivation costs by up to 75%. In Bangladesh, For example, a 10-year program involving over 6,000 farmers found that strip planting increased yields by up to 28% and cut cultivation costs by 75%, labor requirements by 50%, irrigation water requirements by 11–33% and fuel costs by up to 85%, increasing profits by 47–560% for different crops. | Agriculture | Sustainable food systems (including soil and agriculture) | Cropland | Subnational, national and EU policy-makers |
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Bangladesh | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2021.737659/full |
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| Bioretention areas are an NBS for stormwater management. Research shows that bioretention basins can decrease runoff volume up to 90%, and reduce peak flows of about 42%. | Biorentention areas | Climate change adaptation, mitigation and climate resilience | Urban ecosystems | Subnational, national and EU policy-makers |
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Not found | ||
| Forest absorbs 2.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxyde annually and provides $75-100 billion per year in goods and services (cleanwater, healthy soil..) while housing 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity. | Forest | Forest |
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Not found | https://www.iucn.org/resources/issues-brief/forests-and-climate-change |
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| On average, coastal habitats reduce wave heights between 35% and 71%. Coral reefs reduce wave heights by 70% (95% CI: 54–81%), salt-marshes by 72% (95%CI: 62–79%), mangroves by 31% (95% CI: 25–37%) and seagrass/kelp beds by 36% (95% CI: 25–45%). | Mangrove | Climate change adaptation, mitigation and climate resilience | Coastal, shelf and open ocean | Subnational, national and EU policy-makers |
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Not found | - https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/36507 |
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| Mangrove roots stabilize coastal soils, reducing erosion and flood levels during storms, while forests buffer shorelines from the full impact of waves. These flood protection benefits alone exceed $65 billion per year. Additionally, mangroves absorb atmosphere-warming carbon dioxide and sequester this carbon for centuries in the underlying soil. It’s estimated that mangrove forests store three to five times more carbon in their soil per acre than other tropical forests. | Mangrove | Sustainable finance, investment and just transition | Coastal, shelf and open ocean | NBS investors and entrepreneurs |
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Not found | https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2020/07/23/… |
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| Depending on type and age, a single tree can store anywhere between one to 22 tonnes of CO2 over the course of its life; a lot of carbon dioxide. (For context, a typical passenger vehicle releases about 50 tons of CO2 in 10 years.) | Tree | Climate change adaptation, mitigation and climate resilience | Urban ecosystems | Local and sub-national governments and their public authorities |
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Not found | https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/06/cities-urban-trees-climate-chang… |
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| Wetlands not only hold most of our available fresh water, they also improve its quality by naturally filtering pollutants. Wetlands can remove up to 60% of metals and eliminate up to 90% of nitrogen, purifying it so life can thrive. | Wetland | Biodiversity enhancement and ecosystem restoration | Inland wetland | Subnational, national and EU policy-makers |
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Not found | ||
| Coastal Habitats Restoration is an effective NBS. Researchers showed that salt-marshes restoration can reduce non-storm waves height by 72% on average, while also increasing protection from storm events by 41%. | Coastal | Biodiversity enhancement and ecosystem restoration | Marine inlets and transitional water | Subnational, national and EU policy-makers |
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United States | ||
| In Montpellier (France), agroforestry not only created a more resilient production system but also increased the productivity by 40%, thanks to the synergy between crops and trees and the innovative way of managing agroforestry. | Agroforestry | Sustainable food systems (including soil and agriculture) | Cropland | Subnational, national and EU policy-makers |
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France | https://climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu/en/metadata/case-studies/agroforest… |
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| Seagrass meadow of various mature status at different cross-shore locations all provide considerable protection to the coast. The wave reduction by green nourishment is up to 80% under mild wave condition, which is higher than the effect of only seagrass meadow (i.e., 49% as in Reidenbach and Thomas, 2018). | Coastal | Climate change adaptation, mitigation and climate resilience | Coastal, shelf and open ocean | Subnational, national and EU policy-makers |
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Not found | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.814589/full |
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| The WHO states that making cities greener through urban planning can tackle air pollution, the deadliest form of pollution. Covering at least 30% of total urban land area may prevent 400 premature deaths annually. | Tree | Zero pollution | Urban ecosystems | Local and sub-national governments and their public authorities |
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Not found | https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/06/cities-urban-trees-climate-chang… |
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| Research from the Norwegian University of Life Science showed that terrace farming improves foodsecurity and increases crop yield 2.5 times by conserving water and soil. | Agriculture | Sustainable food systems (including soil and agriculture) | Cropland | Subnational, national and EU policy-makers |
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Norway | world bank document: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/36508 |
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| Between 1990 and 1993, New York City also designed and implemented the largest water conservation program in American history, permanently reducing its per capita water use by close to 20% and, at the cost of roughly $500 million dollars, saving the $3 to $5 billion dollars it would have cost to construct new water supply works on the Hudson River. | River | Sustainable finance, investment and just transition | Urban ecosystems | NBS investors and entrepreneurs |
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United States | ||
| 🇬🇧A case study in the United Kingdom showed that soil organic matter increased by around 75% on a farm using a minimum tillage system | Agriculture | Sustainable food systems (including soil and agriculture) | Cropland | Local and sub-national governments and their public authorities |
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Not found | https://www.diverimpacts.net/success-stories/combined-rotation-cover-cr… |
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| The results showed that, 2494 cubic meters of potential runoff was reduced per hectare of green area and a total volume of 154 million cubic meters rainwater was stored in these urban green spaces, which almost corresponds to the annual water needs of the urban ecological landscape in Beijing. | Water | Sustainable urban and regional transformation | Urban ecosystems | Local and sub-national governments and their public authorities |
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China | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479712000163 |
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| Greenroofs are beneficial for waterretention U.S. General Services Administration found that they can retain between 50% & 100% of rainwater. Green roofs also last longer than traditional roofs, and insulate buildings, reducing heating and cooling costs. | Green roof | Sustainable urban and regional transformation | Urban ecosystems | Local and sub-national governments and their public authorities |
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Not found | https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Green-Roofs%3A-Stormwater-Managem… |
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| Greened surfaces, whether on buildings or on the ground, have a higher albedo (20-30%) than artificial hard surfaces (5%), contributing to reducing the urban heat island effect by reflecting more light. | Green roof | Climate change adaptation, mitigation and climate resilience | Urban ecosystems | Local and sub-national governments and their public authorities |
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Not found | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0360132313002382 |
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| Research from University of Plymouth shows that the whole-site management of a Marine ProtectedArea can increase the total abundance of reef species within its borders by up to 95% . | Coastal | Biodiversity enhancement and ecosystem restoration | Coastal, shelf and open ocean | Subnational, national and EU policy-makers |
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United Kingdom | ||
| Wildlifebridges over highways make animals and people safer A research found that in just one two-mile stretch, wildlife-vehicle crashes were reduced by 80% - with similar studies being performed worldwide. | Infrastructure | Sustainable urban and regional transformation | Urban ecosystems | Subnational, national and EU policy-makers |
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United States | https://www.rockies.ca/files/reports/Bow_Valley_Highway_Mitigation_FINA… |
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| Permeable Pavements are a great NaturebasedSolution for urban flooding. Researchers found permeable pavements can reduce stormwater run-off by a massive 93%. | Water | Climate change adaptation, mitigation and climate resilience | Urban ecosystems | Local and sub-national governments and their public authorities |
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Not found | ||
| Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) can provide effective nature-based solutions. A study carried out by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs of UK and the Environment Agency of UK highlighted that SuDS can help reducing the construction costs by 30% . | Water | Sustainable finance, investment and just transition | Urban ecosystems | NBS investors and entrepreneurs |
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United Kingdom | ||
| Research funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency showed that greenroofs can reduce annual rainfall volumes by up to 50%. | Water | Climate change adaptation, mitigation and climate resilience | Urban ecosystems | Local and sub-national governments and their public authorities |
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United States | https://cfpub.epa.gov/si/si_public_record_report.cfm?dirEntryId=205444&… |
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| The whole-site management of a Marine Protected Area (MPA) can increase the total abundance of reef species within its borders by up to 95%, according to new research. | Marine | Biodiversity enhancement and ecosystem restoration | Coastal, shelf and open ocean | Subnational, national and EU policy-makers |
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Not found | https://www.enn.com/articles/70765-whole-site-management-of-marine-prot… |
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| Investing in nature and naturebasedsolutions is an ecological and socio-economic imperative. Nature positive investments can create new business opportunities and up to 395 million greenjobs by 2030. | Economic | Sustainable finance, investment and just transition | All | NBS investors and entrepreneurs |
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Not found | https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Scaling_Investments_in_Nature_2022.pdf |
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| 46 million hectares of peatlands are in a degraded state, emitting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Restoring peatlands would prevent the release of 394 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year. That’s comparable to the emissions from 84 million passenger vehicles per year. | Peatland | Climate change adaptation, mitigation and climate resilience | Inland wetland | Subnational, national and EU policy-makers |
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Not found | https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2022/06/02/… |
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| Restoration of 350 million hectares of degraded land between now and 2030 could generate USD 9 trillion in ecosystem services and take an additional 13-26 gigatons of greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. | Ecosystem services | Sustainable finance, investment and just transition | All | Subnational, national and EU policy-makers |
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Not found | https://www.fao.org/in-action/forest-landscape-restoration-mechanism/ne… |
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| Coral Reef restoration is an important NaturebasedSolution for coastal management @SNAPPartnership conducted a study that found restoring coralreefs can reduce non-storm wave heights by 70%, greatly slowing coastal erosion. | Coastal | Biodiversity enhancement and ecosystem restoration | Coastal, shelf and open ocean | Subnational, national and EU policy-makers |
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Not found | ||
| The EU-funded iSCAPE project aimed at reducing air pollution in European cities & gave evidence on the role of green infrastructure. It showed hedges mixed with trees reduce exposure to particulate matter by up to 50%. | Infrastructure | Zero pollution | Urban ecosystems | Local and sub-national governments and their public authorities |
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Not found | https://ec.europa.eu/research-and-innovation/en/projects/success-storie… |
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| More than 20 coral nurseries are active throughout the Caribbean. Each year, they provide more than 40,000 healthy corals for reef restoration throughout the region. | Coastal | Biodiversity enhancement and ecosystem restoration | Coastal, shelf and open ocean | Subnational, national and EU policy-makers |
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Not found | ||
| According the to EPA, the shade from trees, in combination with the water vapor they release, can reduce peak temperatures by as much as 20–45°F (11–25°C) compared to unshaded areas. And when shade is cast onto an office building or home, internal temperatures can drop 8–10°F. | Urban | Climate change adaptation, mitigation and climate resilience | Urban ecosystems | Local and sub-national governments and their public authorities |
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United States | https://onetreeplanted.org/blogs/stories/planting-trees-reduce-carbon-f… |
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| Some estimates say the shade from a single tree can save the same amount of energy it takes to power 10 room-sized air conditioners for 20 hours a day! | Climate change adaptation, mitigation and climate resilience | Urban ecosystems | Local and sub-national governments and their public authorities |
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Not found | https://onetreeplanted.org/blogs/stories/planting-trees-reduce-carbon-f… |
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| Trees provide important windbreaks around buildings to reduce heat loss by as much as 50%, lowering heating costs and energy consumption. | Climate change adaptation, mitigation and climate resilience | Urban ecosystems | Local and sub-national governments and their public authorities |
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https://onetreeplanted.org/blogs/stories/planting-trees-reduce-carbon-f… |