Nature-based solutions for resilient cities

At the recent inaugural summit of the India Forum for Nature-based Solutions (NbS), over 100 public and private actors came together to build synergies and foster dialogue, across the ecosystem, to increase awareness on NbS.

India’s first national-level consortium for urban nature-based solutions, launched in 2022, is a coalition of research, practice and finance organizations working to shape climate resilient cities and communities in India. It aims to achieve climate-proof 100 million residents and infrastructure worth $100 billion in Indian cities by 2030. The Forum is the first-of-its-kind platform of engagement on urban NbS in India. It will harness the power of the collective to mainstream ecosystem services and nature-based solutions via peer-to-peer exchange of best practices, technical training and knowledge sharing. Its approach includes capacitating stakeholders through trainings, tools, and resources; raising awareness through communication and stakeholder engagement; facilitating opportunities to demonstrate and scale up urban NbS solutions; informing policymaking through strategy and collective knowledge sharing; and driving investment and strengthening delivery mechanisms.

A World Resources Institute India blog points out that till early March, most global reports indicated that the number of cities in India with a population of more than 1 million, will grow from 42 to 68 by 2030. In spite of the reverse migration during the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown, facing the constant threat of a mounting climate crisis, urban India has a chance to reboot and recover holistically, and ‘grow back greener’ in the post-Covid world. The UN’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 emphasises the need for green and liveable urban spaces. It sets targets for enhancing urban green by 2030, to secure resources, reduce pollution and increase resilience. NbS are fast emerging as a way of addressing sustainability challenges and building urban resilience. Planting trees is the easiest means to preserve and restore natural capital at scale. Given that the ecological and environmental benefits of trees are well-known (recent literature also points to social cohesion and crime reduction benefits), several cities in India are calling for building urban forests to help offset climate change, improve air quality, reduce urban heat island effects and provide healthy and liveable neighbourhoods.

As the Forum’s website states, the Summit engaged participants in discussions on decision-making tools and methods for choosing and evaluating solutions, unlocking investment and financial opportunities, and developing actionable strategies for cities that support adoption of NbS at scale. During the event, the second call for proposals for the ‘Forum Research Program’ was announced along with the launch of a monthly masterclass series focusing on strengthening NbS action for city adaptation and resilience.

The Information Release of the Forum also highlights a few key takeaways.  Addressing climate change challenges requires integrating nature-based solutions with modern technology and traditional wisdom. There is an urgent need to leverage both structural solutions, such as stormwater drains and non-structural solutions, like wetlands, for effective outcomes. Integration of local communities to address capacity issues within NbS is pivotal, especially the inclusion of women and our most vulnerable urban citizens, at all levels of decision-making and implementation. NbS help build our case to prioritise ecological concerns by emphasising how they align with “human” priorities. Financing NbS at scale requires a community-driven, multi-faceted approach involving government, impact investors, philanthropy, and eventually commercial capital.

To continue addressing the knowledge gaps and support local research on NbS in Indian cities. the Forum launched the second edition of the Research Program at the Summit. Through the Research Program, the Forum will support at least three research projects annually and has invited entries for the same. The Forum’s core partners will provide expertise or identify external experts to provide review and oversight over the course of the research. The Forum will also conduct two research symposiums to assist researchers with the scoping and definition of research question and help sharpen findings and recommendations. The final research reports will be widely disseminated by the Forum and its partners. The Summit culminated with the NbS awards ceremony felicitating exemplary work across three categories – Champion, Enabler, and Implementation. The winners are Ms Sudha S, IFS officer, Government of Tamil Nadu (Champion), GRRID Corps (Enabler), City of 1000 Tanks (Implementation) and YUVA (Implementation).