Launch of global standard for NbS
On 23 July 2020, IUCN launched the first ever Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in a high-level virtual event.
Nature-based solutions are interventions to protect, sustainably manage and restore natural and modified ecosystems in ways that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, to provide both human well-being and biodiversity benefits (IUCN, 2020). Such actions can take many forms. They use tools that are available in nature to address consequences from poor land use, resource use, climate change and societal challenges. Examples are the restoration of wetlands to, for example, regulate water supplies and forest products; the creation of green roofs and walls to moderate heat in the city and capture water and the restoration of coastal ecosystems to protect people from storms and erosion.
The released global standard, the result of a two year consultation by IUCN, will help to scale-up nature-based solutions and the transition to a low-carbon future. It was supposed to be launched at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Marseille this year, but was now launched at an online event due to Covid-19. You can read more and find the Standard here.