Advancing Nature-Based Solutions to Address the Impacts of Climate Change within the Global South

The Global South encounters significant vulnerabilities to climate change, including severe weather events, biodiversity decline, food and water scarcity. Nature-based solutions (NbS) harness the power of natural ecosystems to address these pressing societal challenges, thereby providing a sustainable and economically viable channels to mitigate climate. Such channels include the restoration of forests, implementation of agroforestry practices, conservation of wetlands, and protection of coastal ecosystems e.g. mangroves, all of which can bolster climate resilience, decrease carbon emissions, enhance human livelihoods and foster the attainment of sustainable development goals. However, the widespread adoption of NbS in the Global South is hindered by challenges such as limited financial resources, poor governance, and knowledge deficits. This special issue aims to highlight how NbS can effectively impact biodiversity conservation through the integration of local knowledge, and the strengthening of policy frameworks, with an emphasis on building climate-resilient systems and empowering communities. By prioritizing NbS, the Global South can tackle climate-related issues while protecting biodiversity and advancing sustainable development.

The central objective of this topic is to examine, document, and promote the significance of nature-based solutions (NbS) in addressing the challenges brought about by climate change in the Global South. The issue seeks to provide a detailed understanding of how nature-based solutions can mitigate climate risks, bolster community resilience, and encourage sustainable development in the global south. Through a combination of case studies, policy assessments, and practical guidance from expert opinions, this special issue aims to equip practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and communities with the necessary insights and tools for a successful implementation, improvement and management of NbS initiatives in the region.

The scope of the issue includes diverse thematic areas highlighted below. These topics aim to bridge knowledge gaps, share case studies, best practices and inspire action-oriented solutions. Thus, authors are encouraged to address one or more or related issues of the following key themes:

1. Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation: The role of nature-based solutions in mitigating climate change and addressing specific impacts of climate change such as droughts, floods, heatwaves, biodiversity loss etc.

2. Community and Indigenous Perspectives: Integration of local and indigenous knowledge in designing and implementing NbS.

3. Socio-economic, technical and Financial Mechanisms: Funding and investment strategies for scaling NbS, including carbon credits, trading, public-private partnerships, blended financing, human capital development, institutional strengthening, wealth and green jobs creation.

4. Case studies in Ecosystem-Based NbS: Papers under this scope should emphasize the contributions of various ecosystems-based investment programs/projects within forests, mangroves, wetlands, savannas, and coral reefs and others.

5. Policy and Governance: Emphasis here should focus on institutional and policy frameworks reforms to support nature-based solutions to deliver on climate change mitigation and building resilience in the Global South.

6. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Given the importance of sustainable measures in achieving conservation objectives, this issue will also highlight nature-based solutions as instrument contributing to the attainment of multiple SDGs, including poverty alleviation, food, water and energy security, and biodiversity conservation in the global south.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Biodiversity Conservation, Nature-Based Solution (NBS), Sustainable Development, Ecosystem Restoration, Indigenous Knowledge, Global South, Building Resilience

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.