Blue Nature-based Solutions: Charting a course to overcome challenges to implementation

In our ever-evolving quest for sustainability, we are increasingly turning to nature for inspiration. From wetlands to coral reefs, marine and coastal ecosystems around the world offer a treasure trove of solutions to some of our most pressing environmental and societal challenges. Harnessing this, the concept of Nature-based Solutions (NBS) is gaining momentum as a management approach that provides shared solutions to interconnected environmental and societal challenges. NBS embed nature and people into decision-making and are designed to enhance biodiversity while concurrently improving human health and wellbeing by contributing to, for example, efforts to mitigate climate change, support adaptation, and boost food security. However, when it comes to blue NBS – those centred around marine and coastal ecosystems – progress in implementation has been slow. To understand why and what we can do about it, we convened Northern European blue NBS practitioners to discuss challenges to blue NBS implementation and their recommendations for overcoming the most significant ones.

Challenges to blue NBS implementation

Practitioners identified twelve implementation challenges overall but considered those that most affect blue NBS implementation to be policy drivers, funding mechanisms, and engagement with stakeholder groups directly involved and/or affected by NBS, have a vested interest, and can influence decision-making. Discussions about these were wide-ranging, repeatedly emphasising challenges surrounding political will and clarity, long-term sustained investment, and interdisciplinary collaboration.