Papers by Emmanuelle Cohen Shacham
Research Square (Research Square), Oct 4, 2023
Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are widely recognised for their potential to prevent the ongoing bio... more Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are widely recognised for their potential to prevent the ongoing biodiversity and climate crises, and to a lesser extent, address a broader range of societal issues. However, this relationship between nature and society is becoming more important as available food and water resources, income, and health, are increasingly impacted by changes to the environment. In this study, a systematic analysis, utilising the seven major societal challenges addressed by NbS according to IUCN, was undertaken to identify the primary themes of the NbS research landscape from 1990-2021 and evaluate how these themes and the societal challenges that they target, evolved over time, and where. Our ndings highlight the under-representation of four societal challenges across the NbS research landscape, namely economic and social development, human health, food security, and water security. We propose six research pathways to advance the scienti c basis of NbS in these four societal challenges, and present opportunities for future NbS research programs to prioritise the needs of society, the environment, and the economy.
The designation of geographical entities in this book, and the presentation of the material, do n... more The designation of geographical entities in this book, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the government of the United Kingdom or other participating organisations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN or other participating organisations.
Journal of Delta Urbanism
The delta areas had been significant for human development.The environmental degradation and the ... more The delta areas had been significant for human development.The environmental degradation and the climate change are one of the multiple pressures experienced by urban deltas such as groundwater extractions, land subsidence affecting the provision of ecosystem services that pose extra risk in the livelihoods of the local as well on the global populations living in these areas. Nature-based solutions have proved their potential to counteract some of these pressures. The following talk brings to the fore an interdisciplinary take on the potential, the value as well as the challenges encompassed in designing, planning and governing nature-based solutions for urban deltas. This dialogue is the transcription of a series of interviews from the guest editors, Veronica Zagare and Diego Sepulveda with the authors, held during October/November 2022.
Frontiers in Marine Science
This paper applies the IUCN Global Standard for Nature based Solutions™ self-assessment tool (pub... more This paper applies the IUCN Global Standard for Nature based Solutions™ self-assessment tool (published in 2020) to two aquaculture case studies. Data from the case studies were compiled by the authors. In Zanzibar, secondary data were obtained through a previous project, which included a stakeholder workshop in Zanzibar (in 2019) and one deliverable published by the IUCN on Zanzibar of their catalogue “Aquaculture and Marine Conservation”. In Indonesia, the original data were provided by the Blue Natural Capital Funding Facility (BNCFF) and the associated local teams. The analysis of the data, the information provided, and the scoring itself were done by the authors, in association with local teams in both areas. The results of the two assessments, discussed in the paper and presented in detail in the Supplementary materials, can be considered original research, never previously published in a scientific journal. The concept of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) was proposed by the Inter...
C-4 .2 A cost-effectiveness study is provided to support the choice of NbS including the likely i... more C-4 .2 A cost-effectiveness study is provided to support the choice of NbS including the likely impact of any relevant regulations and subsidies. .. .. . C-4 .3 The effectiveness of the NbS design is justified against available alternative solutions, taking into account any associated externalities. .. . C-4 .4 The NbS design considers a portfolio of resourcing options such as market-based, public sector, voluntary commitments and actions to support regulatory compliance. .
http://magazine.isees.org.il/ArticlePage.aspx?ArticleId=459
Frontiers Research Topics
Frontiers in Environmental Science
Editorial on the Research Topic Nature-based solutions for natural hazards and climate change Man... more Editorial on the Research Topic Nature-based solutions for natural hazards and climate change Manuscript contribution to the field * The interactions between the coupled systems of climate, ecosystems and human society increasingly represent the basis of emerging risks. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are increasingly seen in this context as a fundamental approach to address natural hazards and climate risks. Despite the global momentum for NbS in climate and environmental agendas, their implementation and uptake face policy, institutional, technical and financial challenges. This multidisciplinary collection demonstrates the increasing scientific evidence on the effectiveness of NbS for natural hazards and climate risks, which is essential to increase acceptance and uptake. The examples, case studies and experiences presented across watersheds, agricultural lands, and coastlines, urban and rural settings, offer new knowledge to address key challenges and demonstrate the potential of NbS to align climate, environmental and sustainable development goals. The collection aims to help advance the use of NbS in multiple contexts, but especially in regions at the forefront of climate change and natural hazard risks.
Routledge Handbook of Ecosystem Services, 2016
Ambio, Jan 22, 2017
Sustainable development aims at addressing economic, social, and environmental concerns, but the ... more Sustainable development aims at addressing economic, social, and environmental concerns, but the current lack of responsive environmental governance hinders progress. Short-term economic development has led to limited actions, unsustainable resource management, and degraded ecosystems. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) may continue to fall short of achieving significant progress without a better understanding of how ecosystems contribute to achieving sustainability for all people. Ecosystem governance is an approach that integrates the social and ecological components for improved sustainability and includes principles such as adaptive ecosystem co-management, subsidiarity, and telecoupling framework, as well as principles of democracy and accountability. We explain the importance of ecosystem governance in achieving the SDGs, and suggest some ways to ensure that ecosystem services are meaningfully considered. This paper reflects on how integration of these approaches into...
International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & Management, 2013
This article aims at testing whether the ecosystem services framework helps in understanding the ... more This article aims at testing whether the ecosystem services framework helps in understanding the link between local management and biodiversity conservation. Tourism was analysed in Camargue (France), a wetland area of high biodiversity value, via semi-structured interviews with local stakeholders. Three types of stakeholders were interviewed: protected area managers, livestock farmers and public institutions. This was done to examine whether they manage the land to enable tourism and/or maintain or restore the ecological state of ecosystems. It was found that tourism sustainability is taken into account by protected area managers and livestock farmers. Management measures are partly taken to facilitate tourism and partly to make it compatible with the stakeholders' main activity as well as with the required ecological state of the ecosystem. Conversely, public institutions that are in charge of tourism do not consider damage caused to ecosystems, which has led to the unsustainable use of beaches. We argue that the ecosystem services concept is useful for conservation provided that both sides of land management are taken into account: the use of ecosystem services and the maintenance or restoration of ecosystems. The sustainability of the use of ecosystem services should be central in future research and implementation.
Environmental Science & Policy, 2019
Environmental Science & Policy
Global sustainability policies, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or the Aichi Tar... more Global sustainability policies, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or the Aichi Targets, aim to ensure sustainable development, including improved human well-being and the conservation of nature. Although not yet explicitly used to evaluate the progress towards sustainable development, the ecosystem service concept implies a direct link between biodiversity and human well-being. This study explores how and which ecosystem services are currently considered in the SDGs and the Aichi Targets. We also identify which information might be already available for monitoring the progress towards their goals by reviewing national ecosystem assessments. This allows the identification of the main knowledge gaps for monitoring progress towards these global sustainability targets. There is a wealth of information on all major ecosystem services categories which is directly relevant for the Aichi Targets and the SDGs. The top 25% most cited ecosystem services across both policy documents are: Natural heritage and diversity, Capture fisheries, Aquaculture, Water purification, Crops, Cultural heritage & diversity and Livestock. Most monitoring information recommended for the global sustainability goals, as well as in the information available from national assessments, is biased towards supply related aspects of ecosystem services flows. In contrast, there is much less information on social behaviour, use, demand and governance measures. Indicators are rarely available for all aspects of a specific ecosystem service. The national statistical bureaus currently in charge of providing observations for reporting on SDGs, could be well placed to address this bias, by integrating ecological observations with socioeconomic statistics into socio-ecological indicators for ecosystem services flows. IPBES can potentially address the gaps identified in this paper by improving coverage of the different dimensions of ecosystem services flows.
Overview - Ecosystem Services in Israel, 2021
Wetlands Ecology and Management, 2014
ABSTRACT Wetland management usually involves multiple stakeholders. This paper describes how the ... more ABSTRACT Wetland management usually involves multiple stakeholders. This paper describes how the use of the ecosystem services (ES) concept can help to identify the main stakeholders associatedwith wetland conservation, using the Hula Wetland in the Sea of Galilee’s watershed as a case study. We conducted a stakeholder analysis based on semi-structured inter- views. We focused on the management of two semi- natural areas within the larger Hula Wetland area (Hula Nature Reserve and Agamon), in which differ- ent management regimes are used and which provide different bundles of ES to different stakeholders. Using the ES concept in the stakeholder analysis, we were able to present the Hula Wetland management in a comprehensive manner. The approach also revealed a lack of coordination between the managing organ- isations which might lead to competition favouring cultural services (in particular tourism) at the expense of habitat services (i.e. biodiversity conservation) in the future. To test our method we also conducted a stakeholder analysis in the Camargue Wetland in France. The two wetlands have similar characteristics but are embedded in different institutional contexts. The Camargue Regional Park has a multi-stakeholder platform which could serve as an example for the Hula Wetland to improve its management and lead to better coordination and complementarity of ES provided by the two sub-sites. Our study showed that applying the ES concept helps to quickly identify relevant stake- holders and analyse wetland management in a more holistic way and to point towards sustainable solutions for conflicting stakeholder interests.
Environmental Science and Policy, 2019
Despite substantial increases in the scope and magnitude of biodiversity conservation and ecologi... more Despite substantial increases in the scope and magnitude of biodiversity conservation and ecological restoration, there remains ongoing degradation of natural resources that adversely affects both biodiversity and human well-being. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) can be an effective framework for reversing this trend, by increasing the alignment between conservation and sustainable development objectives. However, unless there is clarity on its evolution, definition and principles, and relationship with related approaches, it will not be possible to develop evidence-based standards and guidelines, or to implement, assess, improve and upscale NbS interventions globally. In order to address this gap, we present the definition and principles underpinning the NbS framework, recently adopted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and compare it to (1) the Ecosystem Approach that was the foundation for developing the NbS definitional framework, and (2) four specific ecosystem based approaches (Forest Landscape Restoration, Ecosystem-based Adaptation, Ecological Restoration and Protected Areas) that can be considered as falling under the NbS framework. Although we found substantial alignment between NbS principles and the principles of the other frameworks, three of the eight NbS principles stand out from other approaches: NbS can be implemented alone or in an integrated manner with other solutions ; NbS should be applied at a landscape scale; and, NbS are integral to the overall design of policies, measures and actions, to address societal challenges. Reversely, concepts such as adaptive management/governance, effectiveness , uncertainty, multi-stakeholder participation, and temporal scale are present in other frameworks but not captured at all or detailed enough in the NbS principles. This critical analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the NbS principles can inform the review and revision of principles supporting specific types of NbS (such as the approaches reviewed here), as well as serve as the foundation for the development of standards for the successful implementation of NbS.
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Papers by Emmanuelle Cohen Shacham
conservation contexts, has emerged within the last decade or so, as international organisations search for ways to work with ecosystems –
rather than relying on conventional engineering solutions (such as seawalls) – to adapt to and mitigate climate change effects, while improving sustainable livelihoods and protecting natural ecosystems and biodiversity.
NbS is a relatively ‘young’ concept, still in the process of being framed. There is a need now to deepen our understanding of NbS and confirm
the principles upon which NbS is based, in order to move towards an operational framework that can guide applications of the NbS concept. The following set of NbS principles are proposed.
Nature-based Solutions:
1. embrace nature conservation norms (and principles);
2. can be implemented alone or in an integrated manner with other solutions to societal challenges (e.g. technological and engineering solutions);
3. are determined by site-specific natural and cultural contexts that include traditional, local and scientific knowledge;
4. produce societal benefits in a fair and equitable way, in a manner that promotes transparency and broad participation;
5. maintain biological and cultural diversity and the ability of ecosystems to evolve over time;
6. are applied at the scale at a landscape;
7. recognise and address the trade-offs between the production of a few immediate economic benefits for development, and future options for the production of the full range of ecosystems services;
8. are an integral part of the overall design of policies, and measures or actions, to address a specific challenge.
NbS is best considered an umbrella concept that covers a range of different approaches. These approaches have emerged from a variety of spheres (some from the scientific research domain, others from practice or policy contexts)
but share a common focus on ecosystem services and aim to address societal challenges. These NbS approaches can be classified into:
(i) ecosystem restoration approaches (e.g. ecological restoration, ecological engineering and forest landscape restoration); (ii) issues specific ecosystem-related approaches (e.g. ecosystem-based adaptation, ecosystem-based mitigation, and ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction); (iii) infrastructure-related approaches (e.g. natural infrastructure and green infrastructure approaches); (iv) ecosystem based management approaches (e.g. integrated coastal zone management and integrated water resources management); and (v) ecosystem protection approaches (e.g. area-based conservation approaches including protected area management).
A lack of operational clarity presents a major obstacle to the credibility and applicability of new concepts in the fields of conservation and development. Several parallel exercises are currently underway to develop operational parameters for specific NbS approaches (such
as Ecosystem-based Adaptation and REDD+), each proposing its own set of criteria. Many of these criteria could be relevant for other
approaches within the NbS ‘family’ and there is likely an overarching set of parameters, or ‘standards’, that can guide implementation of all types of NbS interventions. To help in this endeavour, five preliminary parameters are proposed: ecological complexity, long-term stability, scale of ecological organisation, direct societal benefits and adaptive governance.
By unifying NbS approaches under a single operational framework, it becomes possible to scale up their implementation and strengthen
their impact in mitigating the world’s most pressing challenges.