Integrating indigenous knowledge and state-of-the-art Earth observation solutions for the Sendai framework implementation

PurposeIndigenous peoples represent one of the most vulnerable groups and need access as well as hands-on experience in the use of emerging Earth observations (EO)-based DRR solutions at the community level, while balancing this learning with traditional indigenous knowledge (IK). However, complicating any engagement between EO and IK is the reality that IKs are diverse and dynamic, with location-specific relevance and accuracy. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic caused complex risks and cascading effects for which the world was not prepared. Thus, there is a need to examine the lessons learned and motivate emerging EO-based innovations and demonstrations related to DRR and climate change adaptation.Design/methodology/approachHence, this study aims to undertake an in-depth assessment of IK related to DRR covering relevant UN instruments and provides state-of-the-art of opportunities presented by EO-based tools and solutions.FindingsThe overall research strategy was designed to integrate key components of IK for DRR in a coherent and logical way, with those offered by the EO technology developers and providers. There are several EO tools accessible that are relevant to integrate IK and complement DRR. The study examined and identified challenges and barriers to implement workable and replicable EO solutions in pursuit of resilience.Originality/valueThe key findings of this study will help create a balanced approach by acknowledging the importance of IK for DRR with co-development, co-creation and use of culturally relevant EO data and tools for sustainable innovation, capacity building and youth empowerment. The technological inequalities appear to be growing, and it would be challenging to meet the Sendai Framework indicators.

A Practical Green Infrastructure Intervention to Mitigate Air Pollution in a UK School Playground

Air pollution severely compromises children's health and development, causing physical and mental implications. We have explored the use of site-specific green infrastructure (green barriers) in a school playground in Sheffield, UK, as an air-pollution-mitigation measure to improve children's environment. The study assessed air quality pre-post intervention and compared it with two control sites. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter <2.5 µm in size (PM2.5) concentration change was assessed via three methods: (1) continuous monitoring with fixed devices (de-seasonalised);(2) monthly monitoring with diffusion tubes (spatial analysis);(3) intermittent monitoring with a mobile device at children's height (spatial analysis). De-seasonalised results indicate a reduction of 13% for NO2 and of 2% for PM2.5 in the school playground after two years of plant establishment. Further reductions in NO2 levels (25%) were observed during an exceptionally low mobility period (first COVID-19 lockdown);this is contrary to PM2.5 levels, which increased. Additionally, particles captured by a green barrier plant, Hedera helix ‘Woerner', were observed and analysed using SEM/EDX techniques. Particle elemental analysis suggested natural and potential anthropogenic origins, potentially signalling vehicle traffic. Overall, green barriers are a valid complementary tool to improve school air quality, with quantifiable and significant air pollution changes even in our space-constrained site. © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Demographic and spatial variables associated with spending time in nature during COVID-19 lockdowns.

To stop the spread of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus (COVID-19) governments around the world implemented lockdowns restricting public travel. In the Australian state of Victoria, this included limiting permitted reasons for leaving home and restricting movements to within a 5 km radius of one's home. In 2020, we conducted a state-wide survey (N = 1024) of Victorians that coincided with a lockdown. We asked respondents where they had spent time in nature and how they perceived lockdowns affected the amount of time they spent in nature. We then considered demographic and spatial predictors of spending more or less time in nature. Women, younger people, and those living in areas with higher socio-economic status were likely to report spending more time in nature. Closer proximity of residents to parks and waterways and higher proportional area of native vegetation within a 1-km radius were also associated with more time in nature. Understanding how different groups were affected by restrictions on access to nature can help improve government management of crises like pandemics, including through urban planning for green space, supporting improved individual and societal resilience. We discuss the implications of our findings for improving access to nature during lockdowns as well as opportunities for a post-pandemic relationship with nature, particularly in urban settings.

Negotiating Complexity: Challenges to Implementing Community-Led Nature-Based Solutions in England Pre- and Post-COVID-19.

Nature-based solutions (NbS), including green social prescribing (GSP), are sustainable ways to address health and wellbeing, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the strain on healthcare. NbS require national and local cross-sector coordination across complex, interrelated systems, but little is known about the specific challenges this poses for community-led NbS. We carried out a traditional literature review to establish the context and knowledge base for this study and interviewed 26 stakeholders. These came from environment, health and social care sectors at national and local levels, with local-level stakeholders from Bradford and Walsall: English cities significantly affected by the pandemic, with high levels of deprivation and health inequality. The interviews explored experiences of implementing NbS, both pre- and post-pandemic and the resulting renewed interest in the salutogenic effects of engaging with natural environments. We coded the interview transcriptions using NVivo to identify the challenges existing in the systems within which these stakeholders operate to create and manage NbS. By synthesizing what is known about the challenges from existing literature with findings from the interviews, we developed eight categories of challenges (perception and knowledge, political, financial, access to natural spaces, engagement, institutional and organisational, coordination, GSP referral and services) faced by multiple sectors in implementing community-led NbS in England. Furthermore, this study highlights the new challenges related to the pandemic. Identifying these challenges helps stakeholders in existing complex systems recognise what is needed to support and mainstream NbS in England.

Pandemic urban development is leading us away from nature.

Recovery plans in Europe in the COVID-19 pandemic era have stimulated construction-led development, which has eclipsed nature-based agendas in terms of scale, size, and policy. One estimate is that only 0.3% of spending on urban infrastructure globally is directed towards various nature-based solutions and other ecosystem efforts supporting human well-being. In the future we will urgently need to employ nature-based approaches in crisis management for the power and potential of nature to be fully employed in pursuit of urban recovery. We strongly recommend that nature-based approaches be an explicit requirement to secure funding for future recovery plans.

Informing the design of urban green and blue spaces through an understanding of Europeans' usage and preferences

In light of global climate change and the biodiversity crisis, making cities more resilient through an adjusted design of urban green and blue spaces is crucial. Nature-based solutions help address these challenges while providing opportunities for nature experiences, and providing cultural ecosystem services that support public health. The COVID-19 pandemic and its associated stressors highlighted the interrelated socio-ecological services provided by nature-based solutions like urban green and blue spaces.This pan-European study therefore aimed to enhance the socio-ecological understanding of green and blue spaces to support their design and management. Using an online survey, green and blue space preferences, usage, and pandemic-related changes in greenspace visit and outdoor recreation frequencies were examined.Greenspace visit and outdoor recreation frequencies were associated with respondents' (N = 584 from 15 countries) geographical location, dominant type of neighbourhood greenspace and greenspace availability during the pandemic, but not greenspace perceptions or sociodemographic background.Greenspace visit and outdoor recreation frequencies were generally high;however, Southern Europeans reported lower greenspace visit and outdoor recreation frequencies both before and during the pandemic than Northern Europeans. Many Southern Europeans also reported having few neighbourhood greenspaces and low greenspace availability during the pandemic.The most common outdoor recreational activity among respondents before the pandemic was walking or running with the most frequently stated purpose of time spent outdoors being restorative in nature (i.e. relaxing or calming down). Most Europeans had positive perceptions of green and blue spaces with preferences for structurally diverse and natural or unmanaged green elements.This highlights the importance of accessible green and blue spaces both in everyday life and during times of crisis. Stakeholders, their preferences, and regional and cultural differences should be included in the co-design of urban green and blue spaces to maximize their potential for both people and nature.Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Understanding the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Perception and Use of Urban Green Spaces in Korea.

Faced with the prospect that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change will be far-reaching and long-term, the international community is showing interest in urban green space (UGS) and urban green infrastructure utilization as a solution. In this study, we investigated how citizens' perceptions and use of UGS have changed during COVID-19. We also collected their ideas on how UGS can raise its usability. As a result, more people became to realize the importance of UGS. In particular, the urban environmental purification function from UGS was recognized as giving great benefits to respondents. On the other hand, the patterns of UGS use were mixed with decreasing UGS use to maintain social distancing or increasing UGS use to maintain health or substitute other restricted facilities. More than half of respondents had their UGS visit patterns impacted by COVID-19. In particular, the increase rate of UGS use was rather high in the group that seldom used UGS before COVID-19. In addition, they increased the use of UGS to replace other limited facilities, and thus tended to demand an increase in rest facilities. Based on these results, this paper suggested securing social support and sustainability for the policy by reflecting users' demand in landscape planning related to the increase of UGS in the city. This study can contribute to improving the resilience of UGS and the sustainability of urban space planning.

Beyond the ‘usual suspects'? Engaging children in diverse communities in co-producing an arboretum-meadow: Professional partner perspectives

Nature-based solutions (NBS) can mitigate the challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and mental wellbeing prioritised by the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The advantages of co-producing NBS with local communities have been explored, yet there is a lack of understanding of professional partners' priorities in relation to specific projects, and their perceptions of the opportunities and challenges encountered during the co-productive process. The benefits of co-producing NBS with children are not understood, particularly in deprived, diverse communities. We addressed these gaps by conducting in-depth, semi-structured interviews with eight professional partners in contrasting roles involved in the co-production of an educational arboretum-meadow on a redundant mini-golf site in Wardown Park, within the High Town ward of Luton, Bedfordshire, UK. Here there is considerable ethnic diversity with 41% residents White British, and 59% other ethnicities. There are significant Black and Minority Ethnic communities (38%). A high percentage of households live with overcrowding (24%) and 31% year six children are obese. All partners prioritised connecting children to nature. The social benefits of the project were prioritised over ecological and climate-related ones. Most participants perceived diverse partner expertise and priorities as an opportunity of co-production. Covid-19 was considered a significant challenge and an opportunity. Our research provides insight into the potential for co-production of NBS in a relatively deprived, ethnically diverse context to contribute to "futureproofing” towns and cities by fostering nature connection amongst children, whilst providing a novel, creative approach to managing and maintaining GI under austerity. Learning from this project has international transferability as a ‘flagship project' illustrating how the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be addressed at the local level.

Informing the design of urban green and blue spaces through an understanding of Europeans' usage and preferences

In light of global climate change and the biodiversity crisis, making cities more resilient through an adjusted design of urban green and blue spaces is crucial. Nature-based solutions help address these challenges while providing opportunities for nature experiences, and providing cultural ecosystem services that support public health. The COVID-19 pandemic and its associated stressors highlighted the interrelated socio-ecological services provided by nature-based solutions like urban green and blue spaces. This pan-European study therefore aimed to enhance the socio-ecological understanding of green and blue spaces to support their design and management. Using an online survey, green and blue space preferences, usage, and pandemic-related changes in greenspace visit and outdoor recreation frequencies were examined. Greenspace visit and outdoor recreation frequencies were associated with respondents' (N = 584 from 15 countries) geographical location, dominant type of neighbourhood greenspace and greenspace availability during the pandemic, but not greenspace perceptions or sociodemographic background. Greenspace visit and outdoor recreation frequencies were generally high;however, Southern Europeans reported lower greenspace visit and outdoor recreation frequencies both before and during the pandemic than Northern Europeans. Many Southern Europeans also reported having few neighbourhood greenspaces and low greenspace availability during the pandemic. The most common outdoor recreational activity among respondents before the pandemic was walking or running with the most frequently stated purpose of time spent outdoors being restorative in nature (i.e. relaxing or calming down). Most Europeans had positive perceptions of green and blue spaces with preferences for structurally diverse and natural or unmanaged green elements. This highlights the importance of accessible green and blue spaces both in everyday life and during times of crisis. Stakeholders, their preferences, and regional and cultural differences should be included in the co-design of urban green and blue spaces to maximize their potential for both people and nature. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Water security: the “new normality” of informal settlements. Nature-Based Solutions as sustainable mitigation and adaptation strategies

The COVID-19 pandemic showed us how fragile cities are when dealing with this phenomenon. The lack of green areas, high pollution levels, and human overpopulation contributed to the increase of the urban heat island effect and proved to be the perfect ingredients for the spread of the virus that changed, perhaps forever, our ways of living inhabiting. The consequences were even more dramatic for the inhabitants of informal neighbourhoods, as these exacerbated existing problems related to economic instability and low food and water security. This paper proposes using Nature-Based Solutions to mitigate and adapt to climate change and increase access to water in informal settlements. The research study focused on analysing two technologies, the Blue-Green roof and Rain Garden, developing a prototype for each one. Considering that the practice of self-building characterises spontaneous settlements, the modules were conceived to be built by the inhabitants using recycled materials. These low-tech strategies improve indoor thermal comfort, facilitate the storage of filtered rainwater for domestic use and provide access to affordable food through domestic scale cultivation. Implementing these solutions in marginalised neighbourhoods could also empower residents to face challenges related to Global Warming, such as runoffs generated by heavy precipitations, and improve hygienic conditions to prevent the spread of diseases. © 2022, Universidad Politecnica de Valencia.. All rights reserved.

Island ecological restoration and management practices based on nature: Conference report.

As a result of climate change as well as the increasing need for island ecological protection, nature-based solutions have attracted increasing international attention. The impact of climate change and COVID-19 has presented island countries and regions with practical challenges such as rising sea levels, stunted economic development and difficult survival situations. Therefore, finding ways to realize the sustainable development of islands from a nature-based perspective has become a key concern. The Island Research Center of the Ministry of Natural Resources of China etc. organized the International Forum on Island Ecological Protection 2021 on November 19, 2021 with the theme, 'Nature-based Island Ecological Restoration and Management Practice.' The conference, which was held online and face-to-face, brought together front-line staff from government agencies, academic institutions and experts from major countries around the world to discuss emerging issues of sustainable island development.

Ensuring consideration of water quality in nexus approaches in the science–practice continuum: reply to discussion of “Water quality: the missing dimension of water in the water–energy–food nexus?”*

We thank Arnbjerg-Nielsen and co-authors for their constructive contribution. We endorse their key comments and suggestions on how to increase awareness of and action on water quality interactions in the water–energy–food (WEF) nexus. Here, we advance the discussion, commenting on the scope of water quality to embrace ecosystem as well as human needs, and the importance of transdisciplinarity and focusing at the city/aquifer/drainage basin scale in WEF nexus hotspots in ensuring that water quality is considered in WEF nexus approaches. We also identify how recent global events, the COVID-19 pandemic and the 26th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP 26), may intensify the WEF nexus and its water quality interlinkages, highlighting the need to weave WEF considerations into addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the climate and biodiversity emergencies. © 2022 IAHS.

“A park is not just a park”: Toward counter-narratives to advance equitable green space policy in the United States

Policy advocacy to address socioeconomic and racial/ethnic inequities in access to urban green space (e.g., parks) in the U.S. and elsewhere are often stymied by two dominant narratives on green space reinforced by politicians, business leaders, and mainstream media. The first argues that green space is “nice to have” but not necessary, and the second frames green space as “universally good” for economic development. In this paper, we study counter-narratives to push for equitable green space policy relying on qualitative research with 30 U.S. policy advocates about their experiences with green space equity work. We find that counter-narratives to the “nice to have” narrative could frame green space as essential, multifunctional, and resilient infrastructure. Also, counter-narratives to the “universally good” narrative could describe green space as a setting for equitable development, cultural representation and inclusiveness, and healing for people of color. Further, counter-narratives should be tailored to specific policy campaigns by targeting audiences, seizing historical opportunities (e.g., COVID-19 pandemic), and centering the stories of disadvantaged people. These findings can be interpreted through the lens of structural racism and can provide pathways forward for advocates seeking to achieve green space equity through policy change and power building.

Strengthening monitoring and evaluation of multiple benefits in conservation initiatives that aim to foster climate change adaptation

As the need to monitor and evaluate progress on climate change adaptation is increasingly recognized, practitioners may benefit from applying lessons about effective monitoring from the conservation field. This study focuses on monitoring conservation interventions that aim to foster climate change adaptation by assessing: what ways practitioners are adopting best practices from monitoring and evaluation (M&E) in conservation;what practitioners are monitoring in relation to reported outcomes;how monitoring comprehensiveness varies in practice and what factors enable more comprehensive monitoring;and practitioner views on what could improve M&E of adaptation actions. We conducted this study using a portfolio of 76 adaptation projects implemented across the United States and employed a mixed‐methods design that included document analysis, an online survey, and semi‐structured interviews. The majority (84%) of projects reported social outcomes at project completion in addition to ecological outcomes (100%), but monitoring plans focused primarily on ecological and biophysical changes. Only 21% of projects connected monitoring metrics to a theory of change linking actions to expected outcomes. Involvement of an external research partner was identified as a key factor in supporting more comprehensive monitoring efforts. Results provide applied insights for enhancing delivery of social and ecological outcomes from adaptation projects, and suggest research pathways to improve monitoring and effectiveness of climate‐informed conservation.

Nature's contributions in coping with a pandemic in the 21st century: A narrative review of evidence during COVID-19.

While COVID-19 lockdowns have slowed coronavirus transmission, such structural measures also have unintended consequences on mental and physical health. Growing evidence shows that exposure to the natural environment (e.g., blue-green spaces) can improve human health and wellbeing. In this narrative review, we synthesized the evidence about nature's contributions to health and wellbeing during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that during the pandemic, people experienced multiple types of nature, including both outdoors and indoors. Frequency of visits to outdoor natural areas (i.e., public parks) depended on lockdown severity and socio-cultural contexts. Other forms of nature exposure, such as spending time in private gardens and viewing outdoor greenery from windows, may have increased. The majority of the evidence suggests nature exposure during COVID-19 pandemic was associated with less depression, anxiety, stress, and more happiness and life satisfaction. Additionally, nature exposure was correlated with less physical inactivity and fewer sleep disturbances. Evidence was mixed regarding associations between nature exposure and COVID-related health outcomes, while nature visits might be associated with greater rates of COVID-19 transmission and mortality when proper social distancing measures were not maintained. Findings on whether nature exposure during lockdowns helped ameliorate health inequities by impacting the health of lower-socioeconomic populations more than their higher-socioeconomic counterparts for example were mixed. Based on these findings, we argue that nature exposure may have buffered the negative mental and behavioral impacts of lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recovery and resilience during the current crises and future public health crises might be improved with nature-based infrastructure, interventions, designs, and governance.

Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture as a Nature-Based Solution to Support Food Supply, Health and Well-Being in Bucharest Metropolitan Area During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Cities and metropolitan areas are becoming increasingly vulnerable to various environmental and socio-economic disturbances, posing a growing concern to food security, public health and well-being. This chapter intends to address two concepts that have only recently been addressed together – urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPUA) and nature-based solutions (NbS) – through their potential to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic associated challenges in Bucharest Metropolitan Area. The work relies on statistical and spatial data related to UPUA as NbS initiatives, being identified two main types: bottom-up (e.g. community, private companies, or NGOs) and top-down (from the local authorities). Lessons learnt from experimenting with NBS during the pandemic period can be relevant for urban governance to further innovate and replicate the successful initiatives. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Dismantling Barriers to Upscaling Agro-ecological Farming in India

With growing recognition of the increasingly destructive impacts of the Green Revolution (GR) the world over, heightened further by COVID-19, there is an urgent need to scale up alternative approaches embedded within the paradigm of agro-ecology. Even so, actual progress on the ground in this direction has been extremely slow. I argue that this is because the entire policy framework governing agriculture continues to be located within the GR paradigm and acts as a multi-pronged impediment to upscaling agro-ecological farming. The paper proposes key policy reforms that could help dismantle these barriers and facilitate, support, and accelerate movement towards agro-ecological farming in India. © Shah 2022.

Association Between Urban Greenspace and Mental Wellbeing During the COVID-19 Pandemic in a US Cohort

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic brought unprecedented socially isolating measures to mitigate the spread of disease, heightening the importance of public outdoor urban greenspace. Here, we investigated the association between tree-rich greenspace and mental health in a large opportunity sample surveyed using a crowdsourcing research website (www.covid19resilience.org) between April 6th and October 12th, 2020 during the pandemic in the United States. Participants living in the U.S. (N = 2,089, 83.1% females, mean age 42 years, age range 18-90 years) were mapped to 1,080 unique ZIP Codes and mean tree canopy density was calculated with a 250m buffer around each ZIP Code grouped by quartile as a proxy for nearby greenspace. Four mental health parameters were assessed: (1) COVID-19-related worries;(2) anxiety symptoms;(3) depression symptoms;and (4) a standardized and weighted composite mental health score of all three parameters. Multivariate regression analyses with multilevel models were used to study the association between nearby greenspace and the four mental health outcomes, controlling for participant demographics and ZIP Code urbanicity. In the entire cohort, increased nearby greenspace showed a significant protective effect for depression (Coef. = -0.27;p = 0.0499), and composite mental health scores (Coef. = -0.19;p = 0.038) when comparing ZIP Codes with the most greenspace to ZIP Codes with the least, with no observed effects on COVID-19 related worries or anxiety individually. Stratifying by age suggested protective trends of greenspace on mental health in older subsets of the population (top age quartile, over 51 years old) experiencing less depression (Coef. = -0.45;p = 0.048) and lower composite mental health scores (Coef. = -0.34;- = 0.032) as a function of nearby greenspace. Additionally, younger subsets of the population (second youngest age quartile, 31-38 years) experienced lower COVID-19 related worries (Coef. = -1.34;p = 0.022) as a function of greenspace. These findings may indicate that tree-rich greenspace plays a protective role on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically in certain age groups, supporting the use of greenspace-related strategies to help mitigate mental health burden during this challenging and isolating time.

Green and Compact: A Spatial Planning Model for Knowledge-Based Urban Development in Peri-Urban Areas

A seemingly unresolved debate in urban planning is the call for compactness and the provision of intra-urban green spaces. This article defines a multi-scalar spatial planning model for peri-urban areas and urban voids able to reconcile medium to high building densities with the provision of ecosystem services. The research is framed within design science research, and the theoretical definition of the model was followed by its application to the International Hub for Sustainable Development (HIDS) proposed by the University of Campinas, Brazil. The model’s parameters and indicators derive from a literature review, case studies, and GIS spatial analyses. A series of expert workshops and a survey were carried out to test and validate the model. The results show that the model can support knowledge-based development in peri-urban areas with high levels of population density while ensuring good accessibility to green spaces and productive landscapes. The model can serve as a planning and design tool and support the development of public policies for other contexts committed to more resilient and sustainable development.

Barriers to the Adoption of Urban Living Labs for NBS Implementation: A Systemic Perspective

Urban Living Labs (ULLs) are widely believed to provide a safe environment for experimentation, co-creation and evaluation of innovations in real-life settings. A growing number of cities have been adopting ULLs to co-create and test Nature-Based Solutions (NBS). However, many of these cities have been facing major barriers in trying to adopt the ULL approach for implementing NBS. In this study, we seek to identify these barriers and provide a systemic understanding. Barriers are identified by means of workshops and interviews. Subsequently, interpretive structural modelling serves to identify the interdependencies among the barriers, resulting in a structural model of barriers in adopting ULLs for NBS. Our results show that political and institutional barriers are significantly limiting the adoption of ULLs. Moreover, knowledge brokers and other intermediaries, as well as cross-sectoral collaboration, play a key role in getting ULLs adopted. The findings from this study can help cities to develop strategies that overcome the main barriers for ULL adoption in the context of nature-based solutions.