Utilizing Nature-based Solutions to promote biodiversity conservation

Abstract

Biodiversity loss is one of the major crises facing humanity today, and with none of the biodiversity targets represented by the Aichi Biodiversity Targets being met, there is an urgent need to promote transformative change to halt and reverse the trend of biodiversity loss. Nature-based solutions (NbS) have emerged as an important way to address the global crisis due to its inherent principles involving holistic and systemicness, diversity, stability, sustainability, trade-offs, and compatibility. The relationship between biodiversity and NbS is analyzed from a mechanistic and functional perspective, and the pathway of NbS as a proxy for biodiversity conservation is revealed by restoring of ecosystem complexity and trophic levels to put nature on the path. We here propose the dual intensions of promoting NbS for biodiversity conservation, as (1) the goal aimed at enhancing diversity, stability, and sustainability of ecosystem, and (2) the tool involves use natural processes. Based on the above understanding of the link between NbS and biodiversity, this paper further compares the conceptual connotation of NbS with the consistency of biodiversity conservation, as well as the NbS methods for biodiversity conservation including natural, agricultural and urban area. Practical cases of NbS for biodiversity conservation or synergy of NbS for biodiversity are summarized in align with differentiated typical ecosystems. The multiple benefits of NbS for biodiversity conservation, climate change and sustainable development are discussed. The vision of integrating NbS into strategic planning for biodiversity conservation is presented to provide a reference for promoting the implementation of Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the mainstreaming of NbS in biodiversity conservation.

Keywords

• nature-based solutions（nbs）
• biodiversity conservation
• ecosystem process
• complexity
• trophic levels