Ecosystem service-based approach for evaluating the effectiveness of nature-based solution in mitigating climate change and land degradation issues in a city region

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are the bundle of natural and ecological functions that are proven to be beneficial to address varied socio-ecological challenges at cities. The conceptual adaptation of NBS alternatives in managing leading issues such as climate change and its impact on community well-being, sustainable uses of natural resources, encouragement for using soft engineering approaches for nourishing synergic benefits of natural capitals, empowering population health and reducing disaster risk are increasing substantially over the past few decades. The other term Ecosystem Services (ESs) refers to the variety of supports and benefits that humans obtained from the natural environment, which add human well-fare and improve the overall socio-ecological status at cities. NBS alternatives include increase in green areas by urban forestry and plantation, preserving urban inland water bodies and wetlands, introducing sustainable, cost-efficient, and environment-friendly urban drainage and sewage systems, reducing the impervious surface cover by increasing green cover, etc. However, substantial evidence is required to understand the importance of NBS alternatives and its implication in producing various regulatory, provisioning, supporting, and cultural urban ecosystem services that collectively produce ranges of economic, social, and environmental supports and benefits. This study performs a thorough quantitative and qualitative assessment to explore the possibilities of adopting varied NBS alternatives to reduce environmental problems in a city and to quantify the economic values of different NBS alternatives using spatially explicit biophysical and economic valuation approaches. Two spatially explicit integrated models Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-off (InVEST) and Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used to quantify the biophysical and economic values of different NBS alternatives and ESs in Dublin, Ireland. The outcome of the study could be a reference to the concerned stakeholders, decision-makers, urban planners, and land administrators for adopting suitable NBS alternatives in managing the uprising environmental and socioecological issues in a city region.