Assessment Framework
Assessing the value and potential of nature-based solutions requires an approach that can take account of the multiple benefits that they can provide and the different criteria against which they can be evaluated. NATURVATION will develop an Assessment Framework that brings together different kinds of knowledge, integrates the contributions of multiple initiatives and assesses the value of nature-based solutions in relation to the goals of urban sustainability.
Nature-based solutions can provide ecosystem services for cities – providing resources, regulating environments, creating habitats, and generating social and cultural activities. The extent and scope of these services varies with the conditions in which nature-based solutions are introduced, how they are designed, and the ways in which they are maintained over time.
Biophysical & Ecological Assessment
Economic & Financial Assessment
Nature-based solutions can create bring a variety of benefits to cities. Understanding the economic and financial value of these benefits is important if they are to be taken into account in decision-making processes and their overall worth compared to traditional forms of infrastructure and urban development.
The benefits of nature-based solutions can also be social and cultural – from providing spaces for social interaction to forms of recreation. At the same time, nature is seen to have values that are difficult to account for in economic terms but nonetheless important to society, such as contributing to well-being, as well as being inherently valued in their own right.
