Nature-based solutions for disaster risk reduction

Dar es Salaam in Tanzania is expected to double in population by 2050. This rapid growth poses significant challenges for the city, particularly relating to flood risk, urban heat, land degradation and soil erosion.

Low cost, human-made river barriers, similar to those built by beavers, can protect communities at risk of flooding. Our new research has found that such natural barriers intentionally increase water levels upstream to slow down river flow.

River barriers made up of natural materials like trees, branches, logs and leaves can reduce flooding in at-risk communities by storing water upstream, new research has found.

Nature-based solutions (NBS) can help grand challenges, such as climate change and food security, but, as things stand, communities outside of Europe do not stand to benefit from these innovations.

When waves hit vegetated dunes, waterlogged areas form in front of plants, making for sand that’s easier to wash away. But you still need plants to form dunes in the first place.

In Manzanillo, Costa Rica, we meet Ana Cecilia Solís Ugalde, a community leader who created a mangrove nursery to build climate resilience in her community.

This nature-based solution involves creating up to 20 acres of engineered oyster reefs and up to 30 acres of salt marshes to attenuate wave action and help protect the vulnerable coastline and critical infrastructure from erosion.

Desertification caused by climate change and human activities has led to land degradation, soil erosion, and loss of vegetation and biodiversity that is costing Central Asia over 5% of regional GDP.