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Nature-Based Solutions: Versatile Solutions to Address Societal Challenges

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Social Ecology and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 May 2023) | Viewed by 9428

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ana Galvao

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Guest Editor

CERIS, Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: nature-based solutions; constructed wetlands

Dr. Catarina Isabel Rodrigues Meireles

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Guest Editor

MED-Institute of Mediterranean Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Évora, Évora, Portugal
Interests: ecological restoration; nature-based solutions for agricultural lands
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nature-based solutions are now well recognized as active contributors to face multiple societal challenges, including climate change and natural disaster, food and water security, economic and social development, human health and biodiversity loss. The level and type of engineering involved in different applications can vary significantly, enveloping interventions in large natural/ protected ecosystems, improvement of managed ecosystems and including also more engineered solutions to bring nature into urban environments. The scales of application, stakeholders involved and extent of ecosystem services provided can also vary significantly, and an integrated approach which considers synergies is recommended to maximize benefits.

This Special Issue welcomes the diverse range of applications of nature-based solutions to describe their versatility in contribution to address societal challenges. Topics that fit the scope of this Special issue include, but are not limited to:

Nature-based solutions to improve the use of natural and protected ecosystems, such as restoration of wetland and coastal areas for flood protection;
Nature-based solutions to restore ecosystem services provided by managed (human modified) ecosystems, such as agricultural lands and managed forests;
Nature-based solutions to introduce/enhance ecosystem services in urban environments such as green roofs, green walls and urban parks.

This SI aims to provide a broad overview of the different scales of nature-based solutions applications, including state-of-the-art, innovative examples and also to explore the multiple benefits that nature-based solutions can bring to society.

Dr. Ana Galvao
Dr. Catarina Isabel Rodrigues Meireles
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

built environment
ecosystem services
ecosystem management
ecological restoration
climate change adaptation

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 2514 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Definition of the Green Infrastructure Vegetation System: An Approach to the City of Castelo Branco

by Mariana do Rosário Machado

Sustainability 2023, 15(10), 8177; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15108177 - 17 May 2023

Viewed by 1129

Abstract

This paper analyses the vegetation system as a matter of design and configuration of the urban green infrastructure of Castelo Banco, Portugal, taking into account the current environmental challenges—air quality, biodiversity and the climate crisis. Being one of the components of nature-based solutions, it explores among its multiple functions those of ecological and cultural order. Furthermore, it deals with integrating the knowledge of phytosociological science into the projectual practice of landscape architecture. Specifically, it explores the choice of the most appropriate vegetation system to be used in order to meet the future needs of this city. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nature-Based Solutions: Versatile Solutions to Address Societal Challenges)

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17 pages, 3971 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Green Spaces over a Roof or on the Ground, Does It Matter? The Perception of Ecosystem Services and Potential Restorative Effects

by Cristina Matos Silva, Fátima Bernardo, Maria Manso and Isabel Loupa Ramos

Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 5334; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065334 - 17 Mar 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1489

Abstract

Cities are becoming more vulnerable to climate change and need appropriate adaptation measures. Previous studies demonstrated that urban green spaces provide multiple ecosystem services, improving the health and well-being of urban residents. Yet different urban green spaces provide different services—provisioning, regulating, cultural, or supporting ones. This work aims first to understand if urban green space users perceive the different supplies of provisioning and regulating services offered by different types of urban green spaces. Second, this work seeks to determine if green roof type conditions, as well as vegetation type and access, affect the users’ perceptions of the cultural ecosystem services. This work presents the results of an image-based online survey performed among 376 Portuguese undergraduate students between March and April 2021. The survey is based on nine alternative urban space designs, varying the roof access type and vegetation types. The results show a general preference for urban green spaces with more vegetation, regardless of the type of roof, and a general preference for green spaces with better accessibility. In addition, users’ preference for no-roof conditions appears to be linked to the abundance of vegetation and quality of urban design and not to awareness of an existing roof structure and its influence on the natural processes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nature-Based Solutions: Versatile Solutions to Address Societal Challenges)

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20 pages, 2662 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Pre-Existing Interventions as NBS Candidates to Address Societal Challenges

by Julia Wójcik-Madej and Barbara Sowińska-Świerkosz

Sustainability 2022, 14(15), 9609; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159609 - 04 Aug 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1789

Abstract

The nature-based solutions (NBS) concept is an umbrella term that connects and organizes previous concepts from the ’green-concept family’. Therefore, interventions similar to NBS were used for a long time before this term was first introduced. Such pre-existing actions, to be considered as NBS, must meet the Global Standards formulated by the Union for Conservation of Nature Global Standards. One of these standards refers to the challenge-orientation of NBS. The aim of this study was to propose objective criteria that enable the assessment of the challenge-orientation of such interventions. To this end, a set of criteria referring to the seven societal challenges was presented. A Lublin city (Poland) case study was applied in relation to 24 types of interventions. The results showed that all of the analysed pre-existing actions met at least two of the challenges. The actions with the greatest challenge-orientation potential continuity for ecological networks are: protecting surface wetlands, public parks, allotment gardens, restoring waterbodies and maintaining floodplains, and the lowest potential are: creating nesting boxes for bats and insect hotels, installing apiaries and below-ground rainwater collection systems. The analysed interventions responded, to a greater extent, to challenges such as to human health, climate change adaptation and mitigation and ecosystem degradation/biodiversity loss, and, to the least extent, to food security and socioeconomic development Moreover, the study revealed that the scale of the pre-existing intervention type is too general to draw conclusions regarding its challenge-orientation: each piece of the intervention should be assessed separately in relation to the conditions in the local context. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nature-Based Solutions: Versatile Solutions to Address Societal Challenges)

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Other

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13 pages, 2363 KiB

Open AccessPerspective

Vertical Greening Systems: A Perspective on Existing Technologies and New Design Recommendation

by Peter J. Irga, Fraser R. Torpy, Daniel Griffin and Sara J. Wilkinson

Sustainability 2023, 15(7), 6014; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15076014 - 30 Mar 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3843

Abstract

Vertical greening systems (VGSs) represent an emerging technology within the field of building-integrated horticulture that have been used to help counteract the global issues of urbanisation and climate change. Research and development within the field of building-integrated horticulture, despite being in the infancy stage, is steadily progressing, highlighting a broad range of achievable social, environmental, and economic benefits this sustainable development technology could provide. However, as VGS technology is relatively new, an array of different designs and technologies have been categorized collectively as VGSs, each having various performances towards the proposed and desired benefits. The purpose of this paper is to review existing VGS technologies and analyse the impact of implementation on sustainable development, and subsequently to propose a new VGS design that theoretically achieves the best possible outcomes when aiming to obtain the maximum benefits of installing a VGS. The resultant design creates new opportunities for VGS environmental amenities and maintenance, increases the scope of applications, and improves the environmental performance of the host building. The proposed design has the potential to transform VGSs beyond conventional functions of aesthetic greening to create novel ecosystems, which enhances the formation of habitats for a more diverse range of flora and fauna. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nature-Based Solutions: Versatile Solutions to Address Societal Challenges)

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