In recent years, the international community has frequently advocated for "Nature-based Solutions" (NbS), emphasizing that natural ecosystems can help achieve important goals such as climate change adaptation and net-zero carbon emissions. However, relevant policies and regulations are lacking in China. The currently implemented similar concept of "ecological verification" has been hindered by cross-disciplinary communication barriers and poor results, making it impossible to establish a full-scale plan.
On the 16th, ecological groups such as Taiwan River Network invited industry, government, academia, legislator Hong Shenhan and others to hold a seminar on "From Ecological Verification to Natural Solutions" and signed the "Ecological Community Cross-Sector Practical Cooperation Declaration". It was submitted to the National Development Council and the Public Works Commission, calling for the establishment of communication channels between the engineering and ecological communities so that the two seemingly conflicting fields can stand on the same front to solve problems.
Using natural solutions to solve human problems is gaining popularity.
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC AR6 WGII) stated in its latest scientific report that human activities affect climate and ecosystems, leading to increasingly complex and difficult-to-manage climate change impacts and risks. It recommended that the international community strengthen conservation and restoration of ecosystems to enhance overall climate resilience. Research also found that, rather than relying on man-made engineering to mitigate the threat of climate change, natural ecosystems can provide a more effective regulatory environment for humanity. Consequently, international public and private sectors and conventions have recently recognized "Nature-Based Solutions" (NbS) as a key solution.
What does nature-based development mean? Simply put, it means solving human problems through natural mechanisms. Associate Professor Liao Guixian of the Graduate Institute of Urban Planning at Taipei University cites the example of flooding. Traditionally, flood control has been achieved through the construction of levees. However, by leveraging hydrological processes and river characteristics, such as returning land to rivers and expanding river corridors, natural floodplains can intercept, retain floodwaters, and slow down flows. While simultaneously restoring the ecosystem, this approach can also address human challenges. Compared to the single-purpose nature of levee construction, this represents a multi-win strategy for climate change adaptation.
Liao Guixian emphasized that the purpose of nature-based governance is to "solve social problems," not simply ecological conservation. This approach, unlike traditional governance, requires cross-departmental collaboration among government agencies and a broader spatial scale to identify and identify problems before formulating solutions.
Source: Environmental Information Center (https://e-info.org.tw/node/234605)
