NbS — An Ecological Diagnostic Report 

Chiou explains, “The notion of NbS was already mentioned in a 2008 report by the World Bank. a 2008 World Bank report. At the time, it was proposed as a response to climate change, and through subsequent discussions and the participation of multiple sectors, it evolved into a broader concept. Simply put, NbS refers to taking actions aimed at achieving sustainable development, management, and governance— with a particular emphasis on addressing societal challenges—to generate dual benefits for human well-being and biodiversity enhancement.

“The core of NbS lies in three key elements: identifying societal problems, formulating specific action plans, and ensuring that outcomes benefit both humans and biodiversity. Based on these elements, eight principles and 28 indicators have been established to serve as a reference for quantitative evaluation, allowing this abstract concept to be transformed into actionable plans.”

NbS can be regarded as a contemporary ecological management framework that integrates various approaches to environmental protection, stewardship, and governance into a unified system. “For example, ecosystem services refer to the benefits or services that humans obtain from ecosystems—either directly or indirectly— such as natural carbon sinks. NbS encourages us to strike a balance between the human pursuit of economic development and the value of ecosystem services.”

Generally speaking, if we think of ecological management issues as an environmental diagnostic report, the SDGs are the prognosis. “SDG Goals 14 (life below water) & 15 (life on land) both provide a macroscopic vision, describing the kind of world we hope to achieve. But realizing that vision requires concrete pathways,” Chiou explains. In this sense, NbS can also be viewed as an environmental “treatment plan”. It addresses the many questions of how to achieve the SDGs and provides a systematic approach to balancing the interrelated dynamics among the economy, society, and natural ecosystems.

From Protection to Sustainable Use 

Delving into the details, NbS involves the implementation of various “targeted treatments”, including protection, conservation, restoration, wise use, other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs), and the 30x30 target.

Chiou elaborates on the definitions and nuanced differences: “Protection leans toward passive preservation—maintaining the natural environment in its original state without taking extraordinary measures. Restoration, or ecological rehabilitation, involves restoring an area to a certain condition through human intervention. Conservation integrates the concepts of protection, restoration, and wise use.

“Among these concepts, wise use echoes the definition of NbS. It serves as a bridge connecting conservation efforts with human well-being, thereby preserving biodiversity while also creating opportunities for nearby communities to lawfully benefit.” Chiou recalls a situation he encountered years ago, involving conservation of the Taitung Cycas (Cycas taitungensis). “If communities are allowed to lawfully use a portion of the seedlings while monitoring the health of the population, it may be more effective than relying solely on laws that completely prohibit illegal harvesting.” This creates a model in which economic incentives encourage communities to proactively participate in ecological conservation.

Protected and Non-Protected Areas 

Regarding OECMs and the 30x30 target, Chiou adds, “OECMs are non-protected areas that still serve conservation functions, and the 30x30 target aims to successfully protect 30% of the world’s land and oceans by 2030. The relationship between the two can be summed up in one sentence—OECMs are an innovative tool for achieving the 30x30 target. In other words, if we designate 28% of the planet as protected areas where economic activities are prohibited, we still need to consider human economic needs. Therefore, OECMs account for the remaining 2%, enabling us to reach the 30% conservation goal.”

He offers an example, “When we designate a highly vulnerable region as a protected area, our first act is to preserve the existing habitat from being destroyed. Next, we consider whether it’s necessary to assist the ecosystem within the protected area so it can resume positive growth— this is where restoration efforts come into play to fulfill conservation goals. At this point, NbS can help monitor whether the process is addressing the societal challenges faced within the region, and it can also evaluate which human well-being and biodiversity benefits have been enhanced as a result of the restoration.”

From Resistance to Adaptation  

Dr. Chiou emphasizes that NbS focuses on adaptation rather than resistance. “Through protection, restoration, and conservation, threatened environments can improve their ecological resilience, i.e., the recovery capacity that organisms have developed over long periods of evolution. However, climate change-induced disasters such as forest fires, torrential rains, and floods often strike without warning, and even resilient ecosystems may not escape unscathed. That’s why we must enhance the adaptive capacity of ecosystems.

“The concept behind adaptive management is that when facing unavoidable disasters, we should aim to minimize the impact by learning from nature, aligning with nature, and utilizing nature. Through monitoring and rolling adjustments, we can gradually guide the current situation toward the desired outcome. This is the essence of adaptation.”

When ecosystems face multiple irreversible or urgent health problems, NbS offers an approach that safeguards biodiversity and the integrity of ecosystems while helping to address many sustainable development challenges. By providing a 360° perspective for diagnosis and assessment of the overall environment, NbS connects previously fragmented ecological management concepts to help us better understand how different strategies interact and reinforce each other. This facilitates the development of more comprehensive and effective plans to achieve the vision of sustainable development and help our planet gradually recover its vitality.