Nature based solutions to reverse adverse Health impacts of Climate Change

Nature Based Solutions (NBS) are implementing solutions that promote interventions that can strengthen ecosystem services. Restoring and enhancing these services ultimately secure the sustainability of human well being.?

Forests provide regulatory services such as pollination, water purification, air quality and pest control to name a few. Services that give us support to provide products such as raw material, food, fiber, medicine etc. these are known as Provisioning services. Without considering the close association of these services and ecosystem we are hampering nature and ultimately losing access to the quality of all these important services that are important to sustain.?

Studies have shown that, in the last decade, we have lost more than 80% of local crop varieties and we continue to lose if no interventions are made. World’s main fishing grounds are losing productive yield due to crossing fishing limits beyond sustainable harvesting. Local food systems are under threat due to erratic behavior of climate. Only loss of pollinators itself provides proof of complex and cascading impacts on food production both in quality and quantity. This further triggers increased use of fertilizers and chemicals to meet the demand of food requirements and earnings of farmers.

IPCC’s recent reports under AR6 have shown raising local threats from food availability to loss of man hours as a result of increased temperatures and working in open fields/farms for long hours might result in major illness, diseases and even loss of lives. The speed of threats are increasing and if not considered through interventions, severity will increase in upcoming years.?

These reports have also highlighted that ‘Deep, rapid and sustained actions’ in a mix of interventions will reduce the impact of climate change. The ‘mix of interventions’ include Nature based solutions and strengthening ecosystem services.??

NBS increases resilience and sustainability of ecosystem services while protecting local ecosystems enhances biodiversity. NBS approach focuses on the benefits to individuals, their environment, allowing for sustainable solutions that can respond to environmental change and hazards in the long term.?

Vanam Ecologics through its #ecosystemservices based approach adopting the #naturebasedsolutions in collaboration with our clients. These help in identifying present ecological status in defined boundaries, understanding threats through mapping and providing scientific mitigation measures to not only protect but also enhance the performance of ecosystem services. We strongly believe that Nature Based Solutions are only long term and sustainable interventions that will reduce local #health impacts of #climatechange. On this #worldhealthday we urge all readers, #corporates and the #community at large to appreciate the importance of Nature Based Solutions in enhancing human health and work towards betterment of ecosystem services.