Nature-based Solutions as Climate Resilient Infrastructure
A Synthesis of Nature-based Solutions as Climate Resilient Infrastructure in Canada reviews case studies across five key hazard areas to highlight opportunities to advance and accelerate effective nature-based solutions (NbS) in Canada.
Many Canadian communities are adopting NbS strategies to solve climate hazards, but the current approaches are often limited and fragmented. There is room for policy and project improvement to maximize the potential of NbS in addressing multiple challenges and achieving broader resilience and sustainability goals.
The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) developed a Global Flagship Report to identify key NbS approaches that can be mainstreamed at the global, national, and sub-national levels. The CDRI Report has five pillars, with Pillar 3: Nature-based Solutions for Climate and Disaster-Resilient Infrastructure – A Case for Mainstreaming Nature-based Solutions in Infrastructure Development and Reconstruction, dedicated to NbS acceleration.
A Synthesis of Nature-based Solutions as Climate Resilient Infrastructure in Canada, prepared by the Action on Climate Team (ACT) at Simon Fraser University with Infrastructure Canada, is an annex to Pillar 3, and provides Canadian case studies for NbS in five key hazard areas:
- Urban Heat Island and Urban Flooding
- Coastal Flooding and Erosion
- Riverine Flooding
- Water Stress
- Landslides and Unstable Slopes
This Briefing Note, serves as a summary of the synthesis paper and aims to inform decision-makers and practitioners about key information and lessons learned from Canadian NbS case studies. It is designed to provide useful resources for and insights into planning, implementing, and monitoring NbS best practices, identifying both opportunities and limitations in current approaches across Canada. It also aligns with ACT’s Natural Solutions Initiative (NSI), which emphasizes the importance and need for coordinating individual NbS interventions across a watershed to optimize their collective impact and promote integrated water management at the watershed scale.
ACT is seeking a diverse network of partners to work with us to advance the implementation of NbS in communities, as well as supporting other goals related to low carbon resilience (LCR) and NSI. Please reach out to actinfo@sfu.ca if you know of any potential partnership opportunities to co-create and advance cohesive and systemic NbS.
