A Battery of Soil and Plant Indicators of NBS Environmental Performance in the Context of Global Change

Abstract

Nature-based solutions (NBSs) for risk reduction produce environmental effects that must be assessed to evaluate their performance. In a context of climate change and growing concern about the loss of biodiversity, indicators informing about ecosystem complexity, resilience and stability are required. NBS projects hardly ever include environmental monitoring programs and, at best, NBS performance is evaluated based on elementary indicators that provide poor information about ecosystem functions and services. Within the framework of the PHUSICOS (EU, H2020) project, a NBS approach is being applied to reduce the hydrometeorological risks (rock falls and snow avalanches) that threaten a transnational road and a very populated town in the Pyrenees range. In both cases, the planned actions are modifying soil and vegetation structure and functioning as well as the environmental services they provide. Here we present a set of soil and plant indicators designed to be included in the postoperation monitoring plan of both NBS projects. We provide a description and information about the range of values of every indicator measured in the study sites together with indications about analytical methods and sampling calendar. We discuss the trade-offs between monetary cost, expertise requirements and meaningfulness of the indicators.

Physiological response of Kobresia pygmaea to temperature changes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

“…According to IPCC, the land surface air temperature increased by1.41 °C (1.31–1.51 °C) during 1880–2018 [ 1 ], and the temperature rises in high latitudes and high-altitude areas were even greater [ 2 , 3 ]. Climate change has important effects on both morphological structure and physiological characteristics of plants [ 4 ]. In fact, climate warming in recent years has caused changes in vegetation phenology [ 5 ].The increasing temperature advances flowering time of plants, and a 2.5 °C increase in temperature of will cause the advance 5-25 days for flowering time of different species [ 6 , 7 ].…”

Sensing and Measurement Techniques for Evaluation of Nature-Based Solutions: A State-of-the-Art Review

“…Examples of GAI include Berlin's Biotope Area Factor, Stockholm's Green Area Factor, and Oslo's Blue Green Factor [7]. Other methodological frameworks have been developed to monitor environmental services provided by NbS that include plant and soil indicators [8]. A variety of indicators and planning guidelines have also been developed to evaluate the interaction between NbS processes and socioeconomic factors [9][10][11][12][13][14].…”

Assessment of NBSs effectiveness for flood risk management: The Isar River case study

“…It can be achieved by comparing the results against predefined targets, adequating the design and maintenance activities in cooperation with policymakers, actively involved in the decision-making process (Kumar et al 2021). The monitoring represents a crucial stage at both the ex-ante and the ex-post project assessment, through the coupling of record datasets from public authorities, statistical databases, literature reviews and workshops with technical, environmental and socio-economic parameters (Andrés et al 2021). In the literature, several sets of indicators have been proposed as a function of the territorial context (Nicholson et al 2020), the monitoring instrument (Li et al 2019) and the applied technique (Vinten et al 2019).…”