Cross-cutting: NBS policy integration and cross-sectoral approaches
As multifunctional solutions to the climate and nature crises, NBS need to be mainstreamed across all sectors and policies.
Specific Advice
To combat climate and biodiversity challenges, we need to steer away from “business as usual”, including traditional, grey solutions and make NBS a political priority. As nature protection and climate change adaptation should be key priorities across all governance sectors and levels, so should multifunctional and effective solutions.
Analysing policy coherence
when working with policy development for NBS can reveal gaps and barriers to NBS implementation. NBS can be integrated into existing policies, and there is a need to align strategies for NBS with broader environmental and social policies.Introducing NBS as a term
in key policies on all governance levels can contribute to a focus on multi-functionality of measures that are useful to several sectors simultaneously, hence creating synergies.Coordination between ministries and involvement of different stakeholders and sectors
are needed in the policymaking process to develop policies that institutionalise NBS across sectors and ensure policy coherence.Good to Know
Integrating the use of NBS across all policy areas can increase the uptake of NBS and thereby promote synergy effects.
As NBS are multi-functional, they should be integrated across sectors such as health, municipal planning, agriculture and transport, and not only environment and climate. This can increase awareness and make the multiple functionalities of NBS visible.
Political prioritisation includes setting clear targets for the use of NBS and budgets both by updating existing policies and developing new strategies.
Ensuring policy coherence is key to ensure the uptake of NBS. Some sector policies may have conflicting goals and targets or hinder the implementation of new solutions. For example, the funding systems for water management and agricultural subsidies can sometimes present such conflicts.
Financing is important to make policies for NBS actionable. Hence, a strategy or an action plan needs to be followed up by budgeting for the activities it involves, either from the authorities’ own budgets and/or by seeking external funding.
Context
The climate and biodiversity crises are interlinked and should be addressed across all sectors, governance levels and policy areas, recognising that all human societies and economies rely on intact ecosystems and a stable climate. While the NBS term is relatively new, many of the actual solutions, such as protecting riparian zones and restoring wetlands are well-known measures. Introducing the NBS concept can emphasise the focus on multifunctionality and considerations of biodiversity and human wellbeing.
The Nordic synergy report (Engelbrecht Hansen et al., 2023) showed that in 2021, only one of the Nordic countries (Norway) had included the term NBS in national legislation. Similarly, a recent mapping from Network Nature (IEEP et al., 2024) shows that NBS was not explicitly mentioned in most global and EU policies on sustainability and the environment. While many of these policies can still promote the use of NBS, there is a need to set clear targets backed by funding in existing policies.
The Nordic NBS synergy report recommends that clear political prioritisation is needed to mainstream NBS into policy and practice (Engelbrecht Hansen et al., 2023). NBS should be considered as a main option before “grey solutions”, however, they sometimes need to work in combination.
NBS often require collaboration between actors representing different disciplines and sectors in all phases from planning and financing to implementation and maintenance. This can pose a challenge, as most sectors have very specific and defined areas of expertise and responsibility. Similarly, different economic sectors are often represented by different ministries and agencies and have specific policies for their sector. To support the successful implementation of NBS, knowledge, values, and needs from different sectors must be taken into account. Cross-coordination between sectoral areas is therefore necessary to design policies that support NBS.
As NBS can solve several challenges at once they may also be the preferred option because of their potential for multifunctionality, and it may increase the likelihood of implementation several different sectors benefit. It is important to address this both through cross-sectoral collaborations and holistic approaches. It can also be useful to highlight how the different sectors can benefit from and support the use of NBS. One such example is the sectoral briefs on nature-positive solutions provided by the MERLIN project.
To make NBS the default option, it is important that their multiple benefits are identified and emphasised. One way of doing this can be to apply the ecosystem services approach, as NBS clearly provides important ecosystems for humans. However, it is important to bear in mind that ecosystem services cannot account for all the benefits nature provides. The framework focuses on what nature can deliver to humans, while it is agreed that nature and all species hold intrinsic value, independent of human utility. Another principle that should be applied when working with NBS is the mitigation hierarchy, which prioritises avoiding impact before restoration and mitigation of damages. The hierarchy approach has been further developed into a more proactive version in the conservation hierarchy (Sinclair et al., n.d.).
In some Nordic countries, regional authorities can play an important role for knowledge sharing as well as coordinating with the municipalities to ensure holistic solutions and approaches in the region. Two examples are Rogaland County Authority and Møre and Romsdal County Authority in Norway, which arrange networks with seminars targeting municipalities within their county. Similar initiatives can be found in other Nordic countries as well.
There are several frameworks and ways to analyse policies looking for potential synergies or conflicting targets. An example of this is the report published by The Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (KS) in 2023 which underlines the need for municipalities to work coherently and in parallel with the four topics: reduction of climate emissions; climate adaptation; protection of biodiversity; and green energy transition (Kommunesektorens interesseorganisasjon, 2023).
Learn more
The CrossGov project
is developing tools for assessing policy coherence on all governance levels. This can also be applied to assess whether policies work as intended to support NBS. https://crossgov.eu/crossgov-policy-coherence-evaluation-framework/The OECD’s recommendations on policy coherence for sustainable development.
https://www.oecd.org/en/topics/policy-coherence-for-sustainable-development.htmlGuidelines for Integrating Ecosystem-based Adaptation
into National Adaptation Plans: Supplement to the UNFCCC NAP Technical Guidelines by the UN Environment Programme: https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/36703Taking nature-based solutions up the policy ladder
: from research to policy action. A NetworkNature Knowledge Brief. https://networknature.eu/sites/default/files/uploads/networknature-nbs-knowledgebrief01.pdfLessons for mainstreaming.
A collection of materials on how strategic intervention in the governance, financial and urban development domains can enable types of innovation to support and mainstream NBS in urban settings by the NATURVATION project: https://naturvation.eu/mainstream/lessons-mainstreaming.htmlThe EU project Grow Green
developed a handbook targeting cities to guide them in developing and implementing NBS strategies towards water and climate resilience: https://connectingnature.oppla.eu/sites/default/files/uploads/growgreengcfhandbookfinal-version-nov22v4.pdfInternational Obligations
EU Adaptation Strategy
“More systemic adaptation: Supporting policy development at all levels and all relevant policy fields; including three cross-cutting priorities to integrate adaptation into: Macro-fiscal policy; Nature-based solutions; and Local adaptation actions.”Kunming-Montreal global biodiversity framework, Target 14
“Ensure the full integration of biodiversity and its multiple values into policies, regulations, planning and development processes, poverty eradication strategies, strategic environmental assessments, environmental impact assessments and, as appropriate, national accounting, within and across all levels of government and across all sectors, in particular those with significant impacts on biodiversity, progressively aligning all relevant public and private activities, fiscal and financial flows with the goals and targets of this framework.”SDG 13 Climate Action, Target 13.2
“Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning.”SDG 15 Life on Land, Target 15.9
“By 2020, integrate ecosystem and biodiversity values into national and local planning, development processes, poverty reduction strategies and accounts.”SDG 17, Partnerships for the Goals, Target 17.E
“Enhance policy coherence for sustainable development.”EU Adaptation Strategy
“More systemic adaptation: Supporting policy development at all levels and all relevant policy fields; including three cross-cutting priorities to integrate adaptation into: Macro-fiscal policy; Nature-based solutions; and Local adaptation actions.”