The superior effect of nature based solutions in land management for enhancing ecosystem services

Sci Total Environ. 2017 Aug 20;610-611:997-1009. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.08.077. [Epub ahead of print] Keesstra S1, Nunes J2, Novara A3, Finger D4, Avelar D5, Kalantari Z6, Cerdà A7. Author information 1 Soil Physics and Land Management Group, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 4, 6708PB Wageningen, The Netherlands; Civil, Surveying and Environmental Engineering, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan 2308, Australia. Electronic address: saskia.keesstra@wur.nl. 2 Soil Physics and Land Management Group, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 4, 6708PB Wageningen, The Netherlands; CE3C - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal. Electronic address: jpcnunes@fc.ul.pt. 3 Dipartimento dei Sistemi Agro-ambientali, University of Palermo, viale delle scienze, Italy. Electronic address: agatanovara@unipa.it. 4 School of Science and Engineering. Reykjavik University, Iceland. Electronic address: davidf@ru.is. 5 CE3C - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal. Electronic address: dnavelar@fc.ul.pt. 6 Stockholm University, Department of Physical Geography and Bolin Centre for Climate Research, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: Zahra.kalantari@natgeo.su.se. 7 Soil Erosion and Degradation Research Group, Department of Geography, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain. Electronic address: artemio.cerda@uv.es. Abstract The rehabilitation and restoration of land is a key strategy to recover services -goods and resources- ecosystems offer to the humankind. This paper reviews key examples to understand the superior effect of nature based solutions to enhance the sustainability of catchment systems by promoting desirable soil and landscape functions. The use of concepts such as connectivity and the theory of system thinking framework allowed to review coastal and river management as a guide to evaluate other strategies to achieve sustainability. In land management NBSs are not mainstream management. Through a set of case studies: organic farming in Spain; rewilding in Slovenia; land restoration in Iceland, sediment trapping in Ethiopia and wetland construction in Sweden, we show the potential of Nature based solutions (NBSs) as a cost-effective long term solution for hydrological risks and land degradation. NBSs can be divided into two main groups of strategies: soil solutions and landscape solutions. Soil solutions aim to enhance the soil health and soil functions through which local eco-system services will be maintained or restored. Landscape solutions mainly focus on the concept of connectivity. Making the landscape less connected, facilitating less rainfall to be transformed into runoff and therefore reducing flood risk, increasing soil moisture and reducing droughts and soil erosion we can achieve the sustainability. The enhanced eco-system services directly feed into the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. KEYWORDS: Ecosystem services; Nature based solutions; SDGs; System dynamics PMID: 28838037 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.08.077