Nature-based Solutions: a Cost-effective Approach for Disaster Risk and Water Resource Management

World Bank Brief: Nature-based Solutions: a Cost-effective Approach for Disaster Risk and Water Resource Management

In the last two decades, the impacts of natural disasters have been devastating, affecting over 4 billion people, including killing more than 1 million, and causing around $2.9 trillion in economic losses. Watershed degradation has impacted drinking water for over 700 million people, costing global cities alone $5.4 billion in treatment and droughts affect an average of 35 million people each year.

Nature-based solutions have been integrated in several countries, for example, urban flood protection through wetlands in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and coastal flooding/erosion prevention in Vietnam through restored mangrove forests. (Image source: World Bank)
 

Traditionally, "grey" or "hard" infrastructural solutions — engineering projects that use concrete and steel — have dominated efforts to reduce and manage impacts from natural disasters and to manage water resources. However, internationally the focus is shifting towards nature-based solutions for water resource management, disaster risk reduction, and climate change adaptation.

Natural systems have long provided many of the services communities seek from grey infrastructure — protection from natural hazards and provision of key resources such as water and energy. Natural systems also provide additional benefits. For example, mangroves provide coastal protection, but can also support fisheries and food security, timber, non-timber forest products, tourism, and act as a significant carbon sink.

Nature-based solutions (NBS), or "nature-based infrastructure" is an approach that uses natural systems to provide critical services, such as wetlands for flood mitigation or mangroves to reduce the impact of waves, storm surge, and coastal erosion. These solutions can also synergize with grey infrastructure, forming so-called "hybrid" solution.

NBS can provide a cost-effective and flexible approach for disaster risk and water resource management.

Since 2012, the World Bank has already integrated NBS in around 100 projects across 60 countries. For example, the Bank supports urban flood protection through wetlands in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and restored mangrove forests prevent coastal flooding and erosion in Vietnam.

In addition, the World Bank has been developing its knowledge base to support the uptake of NBS to manage disasters and water resources. In 2012, the Bank produced a comprehensive study on sustaining water resources through nature-based solutions in East Asia. Since then, the Bank has been growing the knowledge base — for example, with the Urban Flood Community of Practice (UFCOP) note on the role of green infrastructure for urban flood risk management and the WAVES partnership guidance note on the valuation and assessment of nature-based solutions for coastal protection. 

Learn more about the Worl Bank actions HERE.

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Taxonomy

• Disaster Prevention
• Disaster Risk Reduction
• Water Resource Management
• Climate Induced Hazard
• Water Resources
• Drought
• Climate Change
• Sustainable Water Resource Management
• Transboundary Water Resources Management
• Climate Change Adaptation
• Disaster Relief
• Climate Change Resilience
• Water Resource Management
• Water Resources Management
• Disaster Management