Nature-Based Solutions

“Nature-based solutions” or “NBS” are umbrella concepts that include a wide variety of ecosystem-based approaches utilized to address societal challenges. NBS rely on natural processes that are dynamic, so they require adaptive management, monitoring, and adjustments over time (Cohen-Shacham, et al. 2016. Nature-Based Solutions to Address Global Societal Challenges).

In 2025, the CT General Assembly passed Public Act 25-125 which identifies climate change, biodiversity loss, and ensuring community resilience as the primary challenges that NBS can help address. Section 12 of P.A. 25-125 required DEEP to produce a report on NBS that features DEEP’s efforts to integrate and advance NBS programs, certain NBS practices, as well as highlight the efforts of 7 other state agencies (CT Departments of Agriculture, Housing, Insurance, Public Health, Transportation, the Office of Personnel Management, and the CT Green Bank).

Coming soon:

***Link to Notice of Public Meeting and Opportunity for Public Comment (May 26)

***Link to Draft NBS Report (for public review and input at listening session)

 

Efforts on NBS are not just specific to Connecticut but are regional, national, and global in scope. In fact, the United Nations Environmental Assembly adopted the following definition of NBS in 2022:

Actions to protect, conserve, restore, sustainably use and manage natural or modified terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems, which address social, economic and environmental challenges effectively and adaptively, while simultaneously providing human well-being, ecosystem services and resilience and biodiversity benefits.

It’s important to recognize that there is no one-size-fits-all solution available to address Connecticut’s complex climate, biodiversity, and resilience threats as they intensify; and it is likely that neither built nor nature-based solutions can handle these existential threats alone.

But clearly, NBS are an important tool in society’s “solutions toolbag” to achieve a healthy mix of ecosystem, resilience, and biodiversity benefits that makes Connecticut special, and it is important to both understand how state agencies are currently integrating NBS into their programs as well as evaluate opportunities for advancing NBS-related investments by the state going forward.