The knowledge gap database compiles an evidence base for Nature-based Solutions, to support defining research and innovation avenues, and bolster policy and practitioners’ knowledge and knowledge-implementation. This database, first published in 2021 and updated in June 2024, aggregates knowledge gaps and research needs identified through extensive desk research, drawing from academic and non-academic sources. For a detailed explanation of the methodology and analysis behind the 2024 update, please refer to this NetworkNature report. For more context on the initial database see the NetworkNature report on practical, research, and innovation needs.
The updated database includes additional 619 gaps categorised into 32 broad topics and 11 types of approaches. This marks a significant expansion from the initial database, established in 2021, which contained 172 knowledge gaps. Covering gaps from 2017 to March 2024, this database will be continually updated throughout the duration of NetworkNature+.
| Gap description | Origin of source | Source | Resource | Broad topic | Types of approaches | |
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| While forests (afforestation/reforestation/plantation) are perceived as a powerful solution, they are rarely considered as subjects to the challenges they were designed to face. In simple terms, very few projects consider that weather and climate change (especially in urban contexts) might overpower these solutions. | Desk Study | Grey literature | Al Sayah, M., Versini, P.-A., Schertzer, D., 2022. Projet ARTISAN Action A2 - Etat des lieux des besoins de connaissance pour la généralisation des SaFN - Inventaire des connaissances actuelles et des besoins de recherche. Champs-sur-Marne. HM&Co- Ecole des Ponts ParisTech et OFB, p.193 |
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| For there to be a paradigm shift, interdisciplinary, trans-sector, integrated and systemic innovations based on scientific knowledge must scale up. Academia, practitioners, designers and developers should incorporate urban ecology and landscape processes and flows in their research and projects. | Desk Study | Institutional publication | European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, Herzog, C., Freitas, T., Wiedman, G. (2022). Nature-based solutions and the challenges of water : accelerating the transition to more sustainable cities, (C.Herzog,editor,T.Freitas,editor,G.Wiedman,edito) Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/95912 |
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| As interest and international attention in blue carbon has increased in recent years, social and environmental safeguards should receive greater attention and resources. Given the unique location and common-pool resource status of blue carbon ecosystems, it is important to document and share lessons learned related to the social component of these projects. | Desk Study | Grey literature | Schindler Murray, L., Milligan, B. et al. 2023. "The blue carbon handbook: Blue carbon as a naturebased solution for climate action and sustainable development." Report. London: High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy. https://oceanpanel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/23_REP_HLP_Blue-Carbo… |
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| Promote collaboration between environmental scientists, social scientists and engineers to ensure the integration of Blue Carbon solutions. Social governance approaches will be required to achieve the many co-benefits of Blue Carbon ecosystems, such as protecting coastlines against flooding through coastal vegetated Blue Carbon ecosystems and reducing the disturbance of offshore sediments by commercial fisheries. All Blue Carbon habitats provide ecosystem services, which can be valued (to improve environmental economics) and management decisions will need to be made on trade-offs. An integrated, interdisciplinary approach will be essential for understanding the environmental, economic and social value of the services within each Blue Carbon ecosystem and for initiating the implementation of sustainable use and protection of these highly valued ecosystems. | Desk Study | Grey literature | European Marine Board. (2023). Blue Carbon. Challenges and opportunities to mitigate climate and biodiversity crises |
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| Current research on NbS is focusing on finding/building indicators for providing conclusive evidence on the efficiency of these solutions. However, this line of research is still somewhat embryonic, and further efforts are needed. | Desk Study | Grey literature | Al Sayah, M., Versini, P.-A., Schertzer, D., 2022. Projet ARTISAN Action A2 - Etat des lieux des besoins de connaissance pour la généralisation des SaFN - Inventaire des connaissances actuelles et des besoins de recherche. Champs-sur-Marne. HM&Co- Ecole des Ponts ParisTech et OFB, p.193 |
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| Monitoring of existing NBS measures is common, but rarely effectiveness of NBS is measured in quantitative terms. Thus, experiences from existing NBS measures do not provide much insight for ex-ante assessments of the efficiency of NBS. | Desk Study | Institutional publication | Breil, M., Castellani, C. Keestra S., Zimmer, D., Nieminen, H., Trozzo, C. & Galluccio, G. Economic enabling conditions for scaling of Nature Based Solutions. ETC CA Technical Paper published 2023 via European Topic Centre on Climate change adaptation and LULUCF, (ETC CA) |
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| There is also a lack of evidence on the role of biodiversity in informing innovative applications of NBS in energy provision, biotechnology and manufacturing. | Desk Study | Grey literature | Akoumianaki, I., & Pakerman, P. (2021) D4.2 – Desk study on what is the state of knowledge on the role of biodiversity in the design, delivery, and benefits of Nature-Based Solutions? A scoping review. Biodiversa+ |
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| There is a need to move beyond seeing the implementation challenge as primarily a ‘technical’ issue, to develop our understanding of the economic, social, political and cultural dimensions of designing and implementing NBS. | Desk Study | Institutional publication | European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, (2020). Nature-based solutions for climate mitigation : analysis of EU-funded projects, Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/458136 |
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| Increased data collection and knowledge is needed, along with new collaborations with mobile technology providers (using both satellite and seabed cable infrastructure) to overcome monitoring and data challenges and gaps. | Desk Study | Grey literature | Schindler Murray, L., Milligan, B. et al. 2023. "The blue carbon handbook: Blue carbon as a naturebased solution for climate action and sustainable development." Report. London: High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy. https://oceanpanel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/23_REP_HLP_Blue-Carbo… |
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| Knowledge and implementation gaps exist, and there is a need to align incentive structures to avoid subsidising activities that could undermine ecosystem health, such as some fisheries and agriculture practices. | Desk Study | Grey literature | Schindler Murray, L., Milligan, B. et al. 2023. "The blue carbon handbook: Blue carbon as a naturebased solution for climate action and sustainable development." Report. London: High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy. https://oceanpanel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/23_REP_HLP_Blue-Carbo… |
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| Coastal and marine resource conservation and restoration efforts can be hindered by legal uncertainties arising from overlapping land tenure systems. While this topic is addressed in more detail in the section ‘Local communities and social safeguards’, it is worth noting it as a gap and an emerging area of recognised complexity. It creates complicated and lengthy negotiation processes, which require legal reforms, community engagement and stakeholder agreement. Additionally, lack of formal recognition of many coastal and marine ecosystems as protected areas compounds the difficulties in acquiring the legal rights necessary for conservation and restoration, which can limit funding and access. | Desk Study | Grey literature | Schindler Murray, L., Milligan, B. et al. 2023. "The blue carbon handbook: Blue carbon as a naturebased solution for climate action and sustainable development." Report. London: High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy. https://oceanpanel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/23_REP_HLP_Blue-Carbo… |
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| While the coastal and marine environments are unique in many ways, lessons learned from the experience and history of developing, implementing and monitoring REDD+ programmes and respective safeguards can inform the development of future blue carbon projects. Blue carbon actions can take note of how mangroves are included in some REDD+ programs and build on that capacity accordingly. The Cancún Safeguards established critical guidelines for jurisdictional-scale REDD+ and could serve as a baseline for safeguards specific to coastal ecosystems and local communities. | Desk Study | Grey literature | Schindler Murray, L., Milligan, B. et al. 2023. "The blue carbon handbook: Blue carbon as a naturebased solution for climate action and sustainable development." Report. London: High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy. https://oceanpanel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/23_REP_HLP_Blue-Carbo… |
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| Regardless of the type of knowledge generated, the narrow focus on specific scales (pilot sites dozens of km2) makes the identified limitations, achieved successes and the methods developed not necessarily applicable or replicable at both finer and larger scales. | Desk Study | Grey literature | Al Sayah, M., Versini, P.-A., Schertzer, D., 2022. Projet ARTISAN Action A2 - Etat des lieux des besoins de connaissance pour la généralisation des SaFN - Inventaire des connaissances actuelles et des besoins de recherche. Champs-sur-Marne. HM&Co- Ecole des Ponts ParisTech et OFB, p.193 |
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| There is a need to consider the trade-offs between co-benefits of the sought solutions. This is due to the fact that a certain co-benefit can decrease the delivery of another, meaning that the overall effectiveness of NbS-NbaS {Nature-based adaptation solutions} will also be influenced. | Desk Study | Grey literature | Al Sayah, M., Versini, P.-A., Schertzer, D., 2022. Projet ARTISAN Action A2 - Etat des lieux des besoins de connaissance pour la généralisation des SaFN - Inventaire des connaissances actuelles et des besoins de recherche. Champs-sur-Marne. HM&Co- Ecole des Ponts ParisTech et OFB, p.193 |
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| In simple terms, the introduction of a NbaS {Nature-based adaptation solutions} should target the intermediate impact chain to prevent the main impact from becoming bigger. Despite the theoretical simplicity of the idea, its implementation is often hard particularly in the face of slow onset events such as droughts, in relation to which very few NbS-NbaS have been studied or designed. | Desk Study | Grey literature | Al Sayah, M., Versini, P.-A., Schertzer, D., 2022. Projet ARTISAN Action A2 - Etat des lieux des besoins de connaissance pour la généralisation des SaFN - Inventaire des connaissances actuelles et des besoins de recherche. Champs-sur-Marne. HM&Co- Ecole des Ponts ParisTech et OFB, p.193 |
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| The links between air pollution mitigation and human health are not yet clear and conclusions tend to vary from study to study. The main difficulties relate to the lifestyle of the selected people, including the proximity to NBS. Furthermore, the relationships addressed by epidemiological studies are often characterized by high variability. It is therefore important to conduct more interdisciplinary studies with robust case studies collecting data from numerous individuals. | Desk Study | Institutional publication | European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, Calfapietra, C. (2020). Nature-based solutions for microclimate regulation and air quality : analysis of EU-funded projects, Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/383904 |
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| Furthermore, the question concerning performance of “networks” (or “trains”) of interconnected small-scale NBS, as well as their hybrid combinations with largescale NBS and grey infrastructure still remains unclear and should be addressed in the future work. | Desk Study | Institutional publication | European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, Vojinovic, Z. (2020). Nature-based solutions for flood mitigation and coastal resilience : analysis of EU-funded projects, Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/374113 |
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| A particular knowledge gap exists around the relationship between the use of plants and landscapes for water management as compared with biodiversity and with their aesthetic qualities in different contexts. | Desk Study | Institutional publication | European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, Wild, T. (2020). Nature-based solutions improving water quality & waterbody conditions : analysis of EU-funded projects, Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/2898 |
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| A further knowledge gap concerns the relationships between perceptions and measurement of water quality, access to water, aesthetics and classifications schemes. The links between people’s support for water quality improvements, and the inclusion or exclusion of aesthetic measures of the quality of water bodies is an area that has not been properly addressed through policy-relevant research and innovation projects. | Desk Study | Institutional publication | European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, Wild, T. (2020). Nature-based solutions improving water quality & waterbody conditions : analysis of EU-funded projects, Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/2898 |
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| Important knowledge gaps exist in terms of water quality impacts of catchment scale habitat degradation and, conversely, WFD {Water Framework Directive} benefits of implementing NBS such as peatland restoration. | Desk Study | Institutional publication | European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, Wild, T. (2020). Nature-based solutions improving water quality & waterbody conditions : analysis of EU-funded projects, Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/2898 |
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| Understanding the impacts of rainfall runoff from both water quality and quantity perspectives requires investigation of data for specific storms, using methods such as analysis of event mean concentrations to study pollution control benefits of NBS. | Desk Study | Institutional publication | European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, Wild, T. (2020). Nature-based solutions improving water quality & waterbody conditions : analysis of EU-funded projects, Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/2898 |
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| Similarly, cooperation on comprehensive catchment flood modelling and monitoring runoff for more frequent heavy storms (expected in many parts of Europe due to climate change) requires new ways to understand how multiple often individually small NBS can combine to deliver collectively significant natural flood management strategies. Integrating these approaches with knowledge coproduction methods in both urban and rural communities would be beneficial. Similarly, international-scale cooperation on data-sharing towards the development of open platforms (e.g. comparable with the US BMP databases) would facilitate more rapid progress. | Desk Study | Institutional publication | European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, Wild, T. (2020). Nature-based solutions improving water quality & waterbody conditions : analysis of EU-funded projects, Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/2898 |
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| Kail & Wolter (2011) note a lack of knowledge on the effect of restoration measures and a specific gap around how to enhance the ecological state of HMWBs {Heavily Modified Water Bodies}. Post-project evaluation and outcome reporting of river restoration projects remains rare and thus it is often unclear whether the goals of restoration schemes are achieved. In contrast to the degradation effects, biotic responses to restoration are less well-known and not easily predicted. | Desk Study | Institutional publication | European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, Wild, T. (2020). Nature-based solutions improving water quality & waterbody conditions : analysis of EU-funded projects, Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/2898 |
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| There is a need to support research initiatives that calculate climate benefits at a broader multilevel scale, moving beyond individual buildings, case studies, and limited ecosystem types to understand the full diversity of NBS and involvement of diverse multilevel actors. | Desk Study | Institutional publication | European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, (2020). Nature-based solutions for climate mitigation : analysis of EU-funded projects, Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/458136 |
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| Societal benefits arising from the delivery of cultural ecosystem services, such as reducing mental stress or fostering a sense of community, have been historically far less prevalent in NBS discourse. These considerations have been addressed by fewer research projects. | Desk Study | Institutional publication | European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, (2020). Biodiversity and nature-based solutions : analysis of EU-funded projects, Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/183298 |
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| What are the most suitable areas for restoration and/or extending the current network of protected areas that can not only protect biodiversity, but also deliver multiple additional benefits (e.g. climate change mitigation and adaptation, recreation, sustainable agriculture production, human health)? | Institutional publication | European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, (2020). Biodiversity and nature-based solutions : analysis of EU-funded projects, Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/183298 |
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| For the transfer and upscaling of NBS, there is a lack of knowledge on how to transform NBS into business cases, which is creating a barrier to their mainstreaming. We infer that knowledge of ways to think about, design and operate a nature-based solution as a valid business case, and of approaches to doing so, is a known unknown to cities and is also an appealing prospect for any city, as it can turn an investment into a sustainable project with socioeconomic impact |
Desk Study | Institutional publication | European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, Herzog, C., Freitas, T., Wiedman, G. (2022). Nature-based solutions and the challenges of water : accelerating the transition to more sustainable cities, (C.Herzog,editor,T.Freitas,editor,G.Wiedman,edito) Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/95912 |
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| Constructed wetlands can help to biodegrade pollutants, recycle nutrients and immobilise a range of emerging pollutants. In a world water development report, evidence of the efficacy of constructed wetlands in removing certain pharmaceuticals suggests that NBS perform even better than grey infrastructures for some pollutants – and in certain cases they may even be the only solution. However, this report also acknowledges the limits to the performance capacity of these systems, noting the need for further research to determine which technical solutions are most appropriate for each case. For example, a better understanding is needed of the capacity of wetland plants to remove toxic substances associated with pesticides, industrial discharges and mining activities. Nevertheless, the report stresses the growing application of NBS in the treatment of industrial effluents. | Desk Study | Institutional publication | European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, Herzog, C., Freitas, T., Wiedman, G. (2022). Nature-based solutions and the challenges of water : accelerating the transition to more sustainable cities, (C.Herzog,editor,T.Freitas,editor,G.Wiedman,edito) Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/95912 |
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| The links between the long-term management and maintenance of urban NBS, on the one hand, and their functions, services and values, on the other, remain poorly understood and this has been highlighted as a high priority for further research and innovation. | Desk Study | Institutional publication | European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, Herzog, C., Freitas, T., Wiedman, G. (2022). Nature-based solutions and the challenges of water : accelerating the transition to more sustainable cities, (C.Herzog,editor,T.Freitas,editor,G.Wiedman,edito) Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/95912 |
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| There is a lack of research on the potential benefits of blue spaces on environmental stressors. | Desk Study | Institutional publication | European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, Herzog, C., Freitas, T., Wiedman, G. (2022). Nature-based solutions and the challenges of water : accelerating the transition to more sustainable cities, (C.Herzog,editor,T.Freitas,editor,G.Wiedman,edito) Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/95912 |
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| On the demand side of NBS, city authorities and private developers experience a knowledge gap in the type of NBS available on the market. | Desk Study | Institutional publication | European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, (2022). The vital role of nature-based solutions in a nature positive economy, Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/307761 |
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| Secondly, a lack of data on market trends and market development potential at EU/international level was identified as another critically important knowledge gap hindering investment and the development of specific support measures. | Desk Study | Institutional publication | European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, (2022). The vital role of nature-based solutions in a nature positive economy, Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/307761 |
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| Sustainable Agriculture: behavioural research is needed to understand and test solutions to overcome cultural barriers to take up of sustainable agricultural practices across the value chain. To achieve systemic change, more research is also needed on the impacts of changes in diet and to establish an evidence base that food security can be ensured through for example, modelling of land use competition between food, fibres and feed when addressing biodiversity and climate crises. | Desk Study | Institutional publication | European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, (2022). The vital role of nature-based solutions in a nature positive economy, Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/307761 |
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| Sustainable Tourism: interrelations between environmental pressures, sustainable responses and the future of tourism development within protected natural areas. The potential of sustainable tourism in the process of restoration of ecological integrity and enhancement of local and indigenous community wellbeing should be further explored. Likewise, there is a need for further research on the governance structures, management and planning related to sustainable tourism to foster the resilience of natural protected areas and safeguarding of sensitive ecosystems through NBS. | Desk Study | Institutional publication | European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, (2022). The vital role of nature-based solutions in a nature positive economy, Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/307761 |
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| Smart technologies for NBS: research gaps related to data reliability, data quality and accuracy, data models, regulation, and legal protection. | Desk Study | Institutional publication | European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, (2022). The vital role of nature-based solutions in a nature positive economy, Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/307761 |
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| Significant knowledge gaps exist which are currently hindering the development of economic policy and accompanying measures. Knowledge gaps include a lack of robust economic assessment of the potential of different market sectors in different regions of Europe and globally. Little is known about market characteristics such as integrated value chains, the length of product development cycles, business models, routes to scaling, the investment landscape, and the mechanism of community engagement through co-creation and collaborative governance processes. This information is essential to support policy development and investment. Some countries such as Austria are taking the lead supporting market research at national level in sectors such as green buildings, investing in research and development, cross-policy collaboration with other sectors, putting in place market development mechanisms, capacity building measures, standards, and certification schemes. This type of holistic market development approach is needed across multiple market sectors and at an EU wide level underpinned by robust research on market potential and widely accepted standards or codes of good practice. | Desk Study | Institutional publication | European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, (2022). The vital role of nature-based solutions in a nature positive economy, Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/307761 |
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| In general, however, even in countries with a high level of awareness of the potential socio-environmental benefits of NBS, little is known about the potential economic benefits. Similarly, while progress has been made on NBS awareness at sub-national level, except for environmental policy makers, significant knowledge gaps remain at all policy levels about the wider benefits of NBS. | Desk Study | Institutional publication | European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, (2022). The vital role of nature-based solutions in a nature positive economy, Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/307761 |
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| Technical knowledge gaps are emerging in traditional engineering and landscape management departments; cross-departmental silos limit the potential of NBS co-benefits being realised; knowledge of co-creation and co-governance processes with external stakeholders is variable; impact measurement is challenging; financing for ongoing maintenance is often under-estimated and so on. | Desk Study | Institutional publication | European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, (2022). The vital role of nature-based solutions in a nature positive economy, Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/307761 |
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| The importance of cultural contexts in the take-up of concepts such as nature-based solutions and the nature-positive economy has been under-researched. | Desk Study | Institutional publication | European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, (2022). The vital role of nature-based solutions in a nature positive economy, Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/307761 |
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| Further research and support actions are needed to address the financing and sustainability of small scale, often community led NBS projects. | Desk Study | Institutional publication | European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, (2022). The vital role of nature-based solutions in a nature positive economy, Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/307761 |
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| Knowledge gaps regarding NBS effectiveness and implications for different stakeholders, resulting in potential pushback from mainstream economic actors in the wider rural and urban context. | Desk Study | Institutional publication | EEA. (2023). Scaling nature-based solutions for climate resilience and nature restoration. |
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| Additional constraints relate to the quality of available information on the current state of ecosystems and the influence of measures on their GHG fluxes and other ecosystem components like biodiversity. | Desk Study | Institutional publication | Judith Reise, Anne Siemons, Hannes Böttcher, Anke Herold, Cristina Urrutia, Lambert Schneider, Ewa Iwaszuk, Hugh McDonald, Ana Frelih-Larsen, Laurens Duin, McKenna Davis 2022: Nature-Based Solutions and Global Climate Protection. Assessment of their global mitigation potential and recommendations for international climate policy. Climate Change 01/2022. German Environment Agency, Dessau-Roßlau. |
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| The majority of studies focus on the technical mitigation potential which can differ significantly from economic potentials and related assumptions are not always clear. | Desk Study | Institutional publication | Judith Reise, Anne Siemons, Hannes Böttcher, Anke Herold, Cristina Urrutia, Lambert Schneider, Ewa Iwaszuk, Hugh McDonald, Ana Frelih-Larsen, Laurens Duin, McKenna Davis 2022: Nature-Based Solutions and Global Climate Protection. Assessment of their global mitigation potential and recommendations for international climate policy. Climate Change 01/2022. German Environment Agency, Dessau-Roßlau. |
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| In the planning and implementation phase of NBS, it is also necessary to take into consideration current environmental and climate change, which can undermine the integrity of ecosystems and thus the capacity of NBS to deliver on expected outcomes. | Desk Study | Institutional publication | Sandin, L., Seifert-Dähnn, I., Furuseth, I.S., Baattrup-Pedersen, A., Zak, D., Alkan Olsson, J., Hanson, H., Sadat Nickayin, S., Wilke, M., Koivula, M., Rastas, M., Enge, C., Øie Kvile, K., Lorentzi Wall, L., Hoffmann, C.C. and Þrastardóttir, R. (2022). Working with Nature-Based Solutions. Synthesis and mapping of status in the Nordics. Nordic Council of Ministers. Denmark: Copenhagen. |
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| How climate change affects the potential of NbS. | Desk Study | Grey literature | IFRC, WWF. (2022). Working with nature to protect people. How nature-based solutions reduce climate change and weather-related disasters. https://www.ifrc.org/sites/default/files/2022-05/IFRC_%26_WWF_V_6-LR.pdf |
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| Implementing NbS could also reduce the number of people in need of international humanitarian assistance due to climate change and weather-related disasters, but further research is needed to unpack the quantified potential. Further research is therefore needed to unpack the contribution of hazard intensity reduction in reducing displacement, migration and the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance and quantify the reduction that implementing NbS at scale could achieve. | Desk Study | Grey literature | IFRC, WWF. (2022). Working with nature to protect people. How nature-based solutions reduce climate change and weather-related disasters. https://www.ifrc.org/sites/default/files/2022-05/IFRC_%26_WWF_V_6-LR.pdf |
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| As scientific knowledge evolves, the possibility remains of incorporating additional coastal and marine ecosystems under actionable blue carbon approaches, such as kelp forests, macroalgae, unvegetated marine sediments and other environmental systems. However, including these ecosystems requires several scientific advances. While there is potential for integrating other ecosystems, such as macroalgae, into blue carbon initiatives, it is crucial to first consolidate already proven nature-based solutions to achieve scale and global impact. | Desk Study | Grey literature | Schindler Murray, L., Milligan, B. et al. 2023. "The blue carbon handbook: Blue carbon as a naturebased solution for climate action and sustainable development." Report. London: High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy. https://oceanpanel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/23_REP_HLP_Blue-Carbo… |
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| Research is needed to highlight the contributions of MPAs {Marine Protected Areas} and OECMs {Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures} to sustainable development from the economic and social perspective as well. | Desk Study | Grey literature | Schindler Murray, L., Milligan, B. et al. 2023. "The blue carbon handbook: Blue carbon as a naturebased solution for climate action and sustainable development." Report. London: High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy. https://oceanpanel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/23_REP_HLP_Blue-Carbo… |
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| Understanding of how landscape and ecosystem functioning underpins adaptation services, delineating the role of provisioning and non-provisioning ecosystem services. | Desk Study | Grey literature | UNFCCC (2021) Scoping paper on knowledge gaps in integrating forest and grassland biodiversity and ecosystems into adaptation strategies. 100 pp. Bonn. |
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| Capturing perceptions can be useful in assessing effectiveness and doing so provides important information not accessible to quantitative methods; however, limits to perception analyses should be accounted for, and the capture of perceptions must be carefully designed so as to avoid biases. | Desk Study | Grey literature | UNFCCC (2021) Scoping paper on knowledge gaps in integrating forest and grassland biodiversity and ecosystems into adaptation strategies. 100 pp. Bonn. |
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