NATURE BASED SOLUTION (NBS)
Nature Based Solution
Is an action to protect sustainably manage and restore natural or modified
ecosystems that address societal challenges electively and adoptively,
simultaneously providing human well - being and biodiversity benefits.
Nature Based Solution
refers to the sustainable management and use of nature for tackling environment
and societal challenges. The challenges include issues such as climate change,
water security, water pollution, food security, human health and disaster risk
management. Such that climatic change
in which is the global phenomena that possess risk to sectors across society
and the economy. Natural based approaches can offer sustainable solutions to
cope with climate change, mitigation and adoption challenges.
In
nature based climate change mitigation, ecosystem, services are used to reduce
greenhouse gases, emissions and to conserve and expand carbon sinks and
adaptation challenges.
In
nature based climate adoption, the goal is to preserve ecosystem services that
are necessary for human life in the face of climate change and reduce the
impact of anticipated negative effects of climate change (e.g. more intense
rainfall, more frequent floods as well as heat waves and drought).
Disaster
risk reduction refers to the development and application of policies,
strategies and practices that recognizes and minimizes vulnerabilities or
underlying caused factor of disaster.
The following down are solutions in
doing nature based solutions to disasters:
Protection of coastal vegetation;
this will help to reduce the speed of wind and sea waves. This protection will
favor the breeding of marine animals hence it will prevent the extinction of
various marine species and provide employment opportunities to the fishermen
and protect the occurrence of various disaster like hunger at the certain area.
But also protection of coastal vegetation will help in controlling climate
condition through regulating temperature through rain formation due to
evapotranspiration. Areas which initiated coastal vegetation protection programs
like Bagamoyo, Pwani in Tanzania and Trondelag Norway.
Widening of main and construction
of river streams, there should be improvement of river
infrastructures through creating some small streams of the river which will
help to take out some water from the main stream so as to reduce occurrence of
floods. Widened river will allow large amount of water to flow in a short
period of time towards the large water bodies. Also constructed streams can be
directed toward the areas which have drought and unproductive areas so as to
influence agriculture so that we can avoid hunger. The good example is river
Nile which influenced agriculture in Egypt at the areas which were facing
drought and reduced hunger and famine.
Protection of coral reef.
The coral reef structure buffers shorelines against waves, storms and floods
helping to prevent loss of life, property damaged or destroyed, the absence of
this natural barrier can increase the damage to coastal communities from normal
wave action and violent storms. By breaking up waves, coral reefs protect an
estimated 200 million people from natural disasters and rising sea levels. The
findings could help focus coral conservation efforts to high-risk areas. Reefs
restoration can also provide additional benefits, while reducing risk, coral
reefs also support biodiversity, improve water quality and support fisheries
and tourism.
Construction of terraces. these were constructed along areas with steep slopes
so as to control the moving water to reduce floods. They can be constructed
naturally by the community for example in Kilosa they were known as
'makingamaji' constructed by using elephant grasses and sugar cane which were
planted on the farmlands along hills. These help to reduce the rate of flood in
the community and protect destruction of both human settlement and properties
Construction
of check dams; during rainy
season water flow from highland areas to the lowland areas which in turn led to
the occurrence of flood. construction of check dams can help to reduce the rate
of flood by accumulating great amount of water within them. This lead to the
risk reduction for the disaster to occur. Hence create safe condition to those
individuals around prone areas to disaster.
Reforestation.
Reforestation
also is among the nature based solution to disaster risk reduction where by
human being decide to plant trees to areas prone to floods and landslide. It
should be remembered that planting of trees at the areas of steep slope help
the land to become stronger because of the roots therefore through
reforestation we will be able to solve landslide at prone areas. Also through
reforestation we will be able to solve droughts since presence of trees at the
area facilitate rainfall.
Planting of bamboo trees. Bamboo
trees plantation are very important to disaster risk reduction. Bamboo
plantation prevent soil erosion and in such encourage sustainability and
productive capacity to agriculture. Also bamboo plantation preventing
landslides. Bamboo is generally planted in the specific places vulnerable to
erosion. By preventing the occurrence of landslides it saves the lives of
people and properties around the area.
CHALLENGES
OF NATURE BASE SOLUTION TO DISASTER RISK REDUCTION
Shortage
of fund: nature based solutions are costly since it needs labor power and
high technology, most of the technological equipment’s which can be used in
widening of rivers are very expensive, therefore it becomes very difficult to
some countries especially developing countries like African countries which
depends on loans and grants to conduct many of their projects.
The willingness and political
commitment of various agencies including the government and donors.
There has deep analysis on what the government budget is spent on disaster risk
reduction activities and look how many donors supporting disaster risk
reduction program and what of the total costs goes to disaster risk reduction
interventions. Also the poorest nations which are most vulnerable to any kind
of a disaster the ability of that nations to overcome that situation by using
this way is difficult that's because were not able to afford due to resources
to fulfill the commitment.
Ignorance: Nature
based solution to disaster risk reduction it need high experience to conduct
and using this method. So many people had not enough knowledge to use this
approach. Example if there is a forest conservation will help to stabilize
slope and therefore reduce the risk of landslide so many people use that forest
for different activities like cutting down trees for charcoal.
Remoteness of some areas. Other
area is located away from the city center where there are good infrastructure
and they are located to the disaster prone areas like floods and earthquake, due
to their remoteness and poor infrastructures the disaster managers fail to
reach those areas to conduct fa
Population increases:
The increase number of people in some areas also is the source of increasing
the socio-economic activities like agriculture and construction activities so
during those activities it can be create a threat to disaster risk example
during the preparation of agricultural activities people destroy forest and
ecosystems which enables to protect flood and stabilize of climate.
REFFERENCES
Monty, F.,Murti, R,
Miththapala, S and Buyck, C. (ed). (2017). Ecosystems
protecting infrastructure and
communities: Lessons learned and guidelines for implementation. Gland, Switzerland:
IUCN
Monty, F., Murti, R and
Furuta, N. (2016). Helping nature help
us: Transforming disaster risk reduction through ecosystem management.
Gland, Switzerland: IUCN.
Murti, R and Buyck, C
(ed) (2014). Safe Havens: Protected Areas
for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation. Gland,
Switzerland: IUCN.
Sudmeier-Rieux, K.,Ash,
N. and Murti, R. (2013). Environmental
Guidance Note For Disaster Risk Reduction: Healthy Ecosystems for Human
Security and Climate Change Adaptation. 2013 edition. Gland, Switzerland:
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