Nature has always been a problem-solver.
Forests slow water, cool air and store carbon. Wetlands filter pollution and reduce flooding. Healthy soils hold rainfall, cycle nutrients and support food production. Hedgerows shelter livestock, feed pollinators and connect wildlife. Mangroves buffer coastlines from storms. Grasslands store carbon below ground while supporting grazing animals, insects, birds and people.
For a long time, many societies treated nature as something separate from human progress — a nice extra, perhaps, but not central to economics, farming, infrastructure, health or development. That view is changing quickly. As climate change, biodiversity loss, flooding, drought, soil degradation and food insecurity become harder to ignore, more people are realising that nature is not a luxury. It is living infrastructure.
This is where Nature-Based Solutions, often shortened to NbS, come in.
Nature-Based Solutions are practical actions that use the power of healthy ecosystems to address some of society’s biggest challenges while also benefiting biodiversity. For regenerative farmers, landowners, growers, conservationists and communities, they offer a powerful way to connect ecological restoration with real-world needs: food, water, livelihoods, climate resilience, health and long-term land stewardship.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature, or IUCN, defines Nature-Based Solutions as actions that protect, sustainably manage and restore natural or modified ecosystems in ways that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, while providing both human wellbeing and biodiversity benefits.
A later internationally agreed definition adopted by the United Nations Environment Assembly describes Nature-Based Solutions as actions to protect, conserve, restore, sustainably use and manage terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems. These actions address social, economic and environmental challenges while also providing human wellbeing, ecosystem services, resilience and biodiversity benefits.
Put simply, Nature-Based Solutions mean working with nature to solve human problems while also helping nature recover.
This is important because not every environmental project is automatically a Nature-Based Solution. To qualify as NbS, an action should do more than look green. It should respond to a real societal challenge, support healthy ecosystems, involve people fairly, and create measurable benefits for both communities and biodiversity.
Tree planting, for example, can be a Nature-Based Solution — but only if the right trees are planted in the right place, with the right ecological purpose, and without damaging existing habitats such as species-rich grassland or peatland. A monoculture plantation planted for carbon credits alone may not be a good Nature-Based Solution. A diverse agroforestry system that improves soil, supports wildlife, provides shade for livestock, reduces flooding and creates farm income is much closer to the mark.
Nature-Based Solutions matter because many of the problems we face are linked to damaged ecosystems.
Flooding is often made worse when wetlands are drained, rivers are straightened and soils are compacted. Drought becomes more severe when landscapes lose tree cover, organic matter and water-holding capacity. Food systems become more fragile when soils are degraded, pollinators decline and farms depend heavily on external inputs. Climate change accelerates when forests, peatlands, grasslands and marine ecosystems are destroyed or mismanaged.
The IUCN Global Standard explains that nature is essential for human existence and quality of life. It also highlights that failing to recognise this has contributed to biodiversity loss and has caused us to miss opportunities to use nature to address major societal challenges such as climate change, food security and disaster risk reduction.
Nature-Based Solutions are not just about conservation for conservation’s sake, valuable though that is. They are about recognising that healthy ecosystems underpin healthy societies.
They can help with:
For farmers and land managers, this is especially relevant. A farm is not just a production unit. It is a living ecosystem made up of soil organisms, crops, pasture, hedges, water, livestock, trees, insects, fungi, wildlife and people. When those relationships are healthy, the farm becomes more resilient.
Regenerative farming and Nature-Based Solutions are natural allies.
Regenerative agriculture focuses on rebuilding soil health, restoring biodiversity, improving water cycles, increasing resilience and producing food in ways that work with ecological processes. Nature-Based Solutions offer a wider framework for understanding how those practices can also address societal challenges such as climate change, flooding, food insecurity and biodiversity loss.
Many regenerative farming practices can be seen as Nature-Based Solutions when they are designed well.
Examples include:
These practices are not just “nice for nature”. They can support farm productivity, reduce input dependency, improve animal welfare, strengthen climate resilience and create new income opportunities.
As Nature-Based Solutions have become more popular, there has also been a need for clarity. Without clear standards, the term can be misused or watered down. A project might be labelled as “nature-based” even if it offers little biodiversity benefit, excludes local communities, or is used as greenwash.
To address this, IUCN created the Global Standard for Nature-Based Solutions, described as a user-friendly framework for designing, verifying and scaling up NbS.
The standard is built around eight criteria and 28 indicators. These help people assess whether a project is genuinely aligned with Nature-Based Solutions principles.
The eight criteria are:
The diagram on page 3 of the IUCN Standard shows these eight criteria as interconnected rings, with societal challenges at the centre and biodiversity, economic viability, governance, adaptive management and sustainability forming part of the full framework.
For a farm, this means a Nature-Based Solution should not be judged only on whether it stores carbon or looks good in a photograph. It should be judged on whether it genuinely improves ecological function, supports people, is economically realistic, includes affected stakeholders, and can be managed over time.
A Nature-Based Solution should begin with a real problem.
That problem might be flooding, drought, soil erosion, declining yields, poor water quality, biodiversity loss, heat stress in livestock, food insecurity or reduced farm resilience.
The IUCN Standard emphasises that the most pressing societal challenges should be prioritised by the people directly affected by them. These challenges should be clearly understood, documented and linked to human wellbeing outcomes.
On a farm, this might mean asking:
Is the land losing soil during heavy rain?
Are fields becoming drought-prone?
Are pollinators declining?
Are livestock suffering from heat stress?
Is water quality being affected by runoff?
Are input costs rising because natural fertility has been weakened?
Are habitats fragmented?
Once the challenge is clear, the Nature-Based Solution can be designed around it.
For example, if flooding is the issue, the answer may include soil restoration, wetland creation, riparian buffers, leaky dams, hedgerows and reduced compaction. If livestock heat stress is the issue, silvopasture and shelterbelts may be part of the solution. If biodiversity loss is the issue, habitat corridors, species-rich grassland, reduced pesticide use and pond restoration may help.
Nature does not work in neat little boxes.
Water moves across catchments. Pollinators move between habitats. Wildlife uses corridors. Soil health is affected by grazing, cultivation, vegetation and weather. Farm decisions can affect rivers, neighbours, communities and landscapes beyond the farm gate.
That is why the IUCN Standard says Nature-Based Solutions should be designed with scale in mind. It stresses the need to understand interactions between ecosystems, society and the economy, and to consider risks beyond the immediate site.
For regenerative farming, this is crucial. A pond is not just a pond. It may be part of a wider water system. A hedgerow is not just a boundary. It may be a wildlife corridor. A pasture is not just forage. It may be a carbon store, a habitat, a water sponge and a soil-building system.
Good Nature-Based Solutions look beyond the individual field and ask how the whole landscape functions.
One of the most important principles of Nature-Based Solutions is that they should benefit biodiversity.
The IUCN Standard states that NbS should result in a net gain to biodiversity and ecosystem integrity. This means they should be based on an understanding of the current state of the ecosystem, the drivers of degradation, measurable biodiversity outcomes, and monitoring for unintended negative consequences.
This is where some poorly designed “green” projects fall down.
For example, planting fast-growing non-native monocultures on species-rich grassland might store some carbon in the short term, but it could damage biodiversity, soil ecology and landscape character. That would not be a strong Nature-Based Solution.
A better approach would be to restore the ecosystem that belongs in that place. That might be native woodland, but it might also be wet meadow, scrub mosaic, species-rich pasture, peatland, saltmarsh or traditional orchard.
The IUCN policy brief warns against an overemphasis on tree planting for carbon sequestration, especially when it is wrongly advertised as NbS. It explains that NbS should maintain or enhance biodiversity and should be diverse and relevant to the ecosystems they aim to benefit.
In other words: nature-based does not mean “plant trees everywhere”. It means understanding the ecosystem and helping it function better.
For Nature-Based Solutions to last, they need to make economic sense.
This does not mean every benefit has to be turned into a market product. It does mean that costs, benefits, funding, labour, long-term management and who pays versus who benefits all need to be considered.
The IUCN Standard states that economic viability is essential because long-term gains often need to be balanced against short-term costs. If economic feasibility is ignored, NbS can become short-term projects that collapse when funding ends.
For farmers, this is refreshingly realistic.
A hedgerow may provide wildlife benefits, shelter, carbon storage and landscape value, but it also requires planting, protection and maintenance. Agroforestry may provide long-term resilience and new products, but it requires planning, capital and time. Wetland restoration may reduce flooding and improve biodiversity, but it may also change how part of the farm is used.
A strong Nature-Based Solution recognises these realities. It looks for ways to make restoration economically durable, whether through farm productivity, reduced inputs, public payments, carbon or biodiversity funding, local markets, grants, community support, or blended finance.
Nature-Based Solutions affect people. Therefore, people need to be involved.
The IUCN Standard says NbS should be based on inclusive, transparent and empowering governance processes. Stakeholders should be identified and involved, decision-making should respect rights and interests, and Indigenous Peoples’ right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent should be upheld where relevant.
This principle matters deeply in rural landscapes.
Farmers, tenants, commoners, local communities, Indigenous Peoples, fishers, graziers, landowners, conservation groups and public authorities may all have legitimate interests in land and water. A restoration project that ignores these relationships can create conflict, even if its ecological aims are good.
The IUCN policy brief also notes that local communities are often directly affected by NbS because their livelihoods depend on access to resources and ecosystem co-benefits. It warns that they may be left out of land-use decisions or only superficially involved.
Good Nature-Based Solutions are not done to people. They are designed with people.
Every land-use decision involves trade-offs.
A field margin left for wildlife may reduce cropped area. A wetland may change grazing access. A river buffer may alter how a field is managed. A tree belt may affect machinery routes but provide shelter and biodiversity. A fishing restriction may help fish populations recover but affect short-term income.
The IUCN Standard recognises that trade-offs are inevitable, but says they should be managed fairly, transparently and inclusively. Costs, benefits, rights and responsibilities should be acknowledged, and safeguards should be reviewed over time.
This is an important point for regenerative farming. Restoration should not pretend there are no costs. Instead, it should look honestly at who carries those costs, who receives the benefits, and how the balance can be made fair.
Ecosystems are alive, complex and unpredictable. That means Nature-Based Solutions cannot be “set and forget”.
The IUCN Standard says NbS should be managed adaptively, based on evidence. Monitoring, evaluation and iterative learning should be built into the project so management can change as conditions change.
This fits beautifully with regenerative farming, which is rooted in observation and feedback.
A farmer might adjust grazing based on plant recovery. A pond might be managed differently if it becomes too shaded. A new agroforestry system might need changes in tree protection, spacing or grazing timing. A wildflower margin might need different cutting to reduce grass dominance. A wetland might need monitoring to ensure water levels are supporting the intended habitat.
Nature-Based Solutions are not rigid recipes. They are living strategies.
The final criterion is about making Nature-Based Solutions last.
The IUCN Standard explains that NbS should be designed and managed with long-term sustainability in mind. They should align with relevant policies, regulations and wider goals for climate, biodiversity, human wellbeing and rights.
For farms, this means thinking beyond a one-off project or grant scheme. How will the restored habitat be managed in 5, 10 or 30 years? Who is responsible? How will it be funded? Can it become part of the farm business? Can it contribute to local nature recovery, catchment management, biodiversity targets or climate resilience?
The strongest Nature-Based Solutions become woven into the way land is managed.
Here are some practical examples of Nature-Based Solutions that fit well within regenerative farming.
Agroforestry integrates trees with crops or livestock. It can provide shade, shelter, fodder, fruit, nuts, timber, carbon storage, wildlife habitat and improved water infiltration. In livestock systems, silvopasture can reduce heat stress and create more diverse grazing environments.
Hedgerows are classic farm-scale Nature-Based Solutions. They support birds, insects, pollinators and small mammals while providing shelter, reducing wind erosion, connecting habitats and storing carbon.
Wetlands and ponds can slow water, reduce flooding, improve water quality and provide habitat for amphibians, dragonflies, birds and aquatic plants. In the right place, they can be one of the most wildlife-rich features on a farm.
Cover crops, reduced tillage, compost, diverse rotations, herbal leys and careful grazing all help restore soil function. Healthy soil stores carbon, holds water, supports crops and reduces erosion.
Vegetated strips along rivers and streams protect water from sediment, nutrients and pesticides. They also create wildlife corridors and help stabilise banks.
Restoring species-rich grassland can support pollinators, birds, soil life and resilient grazing. It can also reduce reliance on artificial inputs and create healthier forage diversity.
Leaky woody structures, restored floodplains, wetlands, hedges, tree planting and soil restoration can slow water movement through the landscape and reduce flood peaks downstream.
A key criticism of Nature-Based Solutions is that they can be misused as a distraction from reducing fossil fuel emissions.
This concern is valid. Planting trees or restoring ecosystems cannot be used as an excuse for business-as-usual pollution. The IUCN policy brief clearly states that NbS are only effective for climate change mitigation when combined with ambitious and comprehensive emissions reduction strategies aligned with the Paris Agreement.
This point matters.
Nature-Based Solutions can help store carbon, reduce emissions from land degradation and build resilience. But they cannot replace the urgent need to cut fossil fuel use, reduce overconsumption and transform damaging systems.
The best use of NbS is not as a green cover for pollution. It is as part of a serious, science-based response to climate change, biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation.
Nature-Based Solutions offer a hopeful but practical way forward.
They remind us that nature is not just something to protect in reserves. It is an active partner in solving the problems we face. Healthy ecosystems can cool cities, protect coastlines, reduce floods, restore soils, support food production, clean water, store carbon and improve wellbeing.
For regenerative farmers, this is not a new idea. It is the logic of working with living systems.
A farm with healthy soil, diverse pastures, trees, hedges, ponds, wildlife corridors, clean water and careful grazing is already moving toward a Nature-Based Solutions approach. It is producing food while also restoring ecosystem function.
But the concept of NbS gives us a useful framework. It helps ensure that our actions are not just well-intentioned, but genuinely effective, fair, measurable and resilient.
At its best, a Nature-Based Solution does three things at once:
It helps people.
It helps nature.
It helps the future.
And in a time of climate instability, biodiversity loss and increasing pressure on land, that kind of joined-up thinking is exactly what we need.
Nature-based Solutions Initiative – University of Oxford
