Healthy ecosystems and the services they provide are fundamentally important to livelihoods, food systems, and water and energy security. However, environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, and significant increases in greenhouse gas emissions, and waste, have undermined the balance of ecosystem services across the globe, resulting in greater unpredictability and increased vulnerability to climate change. The links between climate resilience and ecosystem health has been brought into focus in recent years through the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods, and their devastating consequences on infrastructure and affected communities.

Protecting nature and maintaining and restoring vital ecosystem functions to enhance natural capital and ecosystem functions for adaptation and utilising nature-based solutions for the protection and restoration of ecosystems are critical to promoting adaptation and resilience, whilst generating positive benefits for nature and people. Examples from NIRAS’ work point to the benefits of using nature-based solutions to benefit people and ecosystems, whilst contributing to goals for adaptation and mitigation.