The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) highlight the need for better management of water and land resources, which are increasingly subject to conflicts due to rising demographic pressures, advancing economic development, and climate change. Nature-based Solutions (NBS) are recognized as an approach that can reconcile sustainable soil and water management with the provision of various ecosystem services, such as erosion control, flood and drought mitigation, coastal protection, pollution reduction, habitat creation, recreational opportunities, and heat protection. This calls for a critical evaluation of how the NBS approach is translated into practice. Aligned with these objectives and supported by the IAHS Helping Decade, this session will explore an inter- and transdisciplinary approach to further developing NBS, including co-development with stakeholders, engaging civil society, and translating NBS into education and school curricula.
Within the scope of this session, we invite:
• Studies investigating the application of NBS in mitigating environmental extremes, such as floods or droughts;
• Studies combining NBS with social studies, including public perception surveys and the use of citizen science to assess the effectiveness of NBS;
• Studies exploring the use of NBS and related concepts in (higher) education;
• Studies combining NBS with cross-sectoral collaboration, stakeholder engagement, and transdisciplinary approaches;
• Studies investigating NBS and other sustainable management practices for soil and water conservation;
• Discussions on integrating multiple disciplines in the development of NBS, including challenges and benefits.