Nature-Based Solutions for Addressing Global Environmental Challenges in Urban and Rural Landscapes

Nature-based solutions (NbS) are increasingly recognized as effective approaches for addressing interconnected environmental challenges while supporting sustainable development and human well-being. As the world faces accelerating climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation, and growing risks to human health, NbS offer integrated responses that harness the capacity of ecosystems to regulate environmental processes and provide multiple benefits for both nature and society. By protecting, restoring, and sustainably managing ecosystems, NbS can strengthen climate resilience, mitigate natural hazards, and improve environmental and social outcomes across diverse rural and urban landscapes. International policy frameworks have increasingly emphasized the importance of NbS in achieving global sustainability goals. Initiatives such as the Paris Agreement, the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and the Sustainable Development Goals highlight the potential of NbS to simultaneously address climate risks, biodiversity conservation, and socio-economic development. Despite this growing recognition, important gaps remain in understanding how NbS can be effectively designed, implemented, and scaled in different ecological and socio-economic contexts. Research across multiple disciplines has demonstrated that NbS can enhance environmental functions such as climate regulation, water purification, soil protection, and biodiversity conservation while also supporting livelihoods, public health, and community resilience. However, their effectiveness often depends on local ecological conditions, governance structures, stakeholder engagement, and long-term monitoring. Strengthening the connection between scientific knowledge, practical implementation, and policy frameworks therefore remains essential for advancing NbS from concept to broader application. Addressing climate change, biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation, and increasing pressures on human health requires integrated and sustainable approaches. Nature-based solutions have emerged as promising strategies that use the capacity of ecosystems to respond to environmental challenges while generating multiple benefits for society. However, important knowledge gaps remain regarding how NbS can be effectively designed, implemented, monitored, and scaled to maximize their contribution to climate resilience, environmental sustainability, and human well-being. The goal of this Research Topic is to advance scientific understanding and practical implementation of nature-based solutions as tools for addressing global environmental challenges in both rural and urban contexts. By bringing together interdisciplinary research and experiences from different regions and ecosystems, the collection aims to identify innovative NbS approaches, evaluate their effectiveness, and explore pathways for integrating NbS into environmental policy, climate strategies, and sustainable development frameworks. Ultimately, this Research Topic seeks to strengthen the scientific and policy foundation needed to support the wider adoption of NbS worldwide.This Research Topic welcomes interdisciplinary contributions that explore the role of nature-based solutions (NbS) in addressing global environmental challenges and advancing sustainable development. Submissions may examine the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of NbS across different ecosystems and socio-ecological contexts. Relevant themes include climate resilience and climate-related risk reduction, ecosystem resilience, biodiversity conservation, sustainable land and water management, and the links between NbS and human health and well-being. Contributions addressing governance, policy integration, financing mechanisms, and community engagement in NbS implementation are also encouraged. We invite original research articles, review papers, case studies, methodological contributions, and policy perspectives that provide new insights into NbS approaches and their practical applications. Studies that integrate scientific research with policy and practice, or that present innovative frameworks and tools for assessing NbS effectiveness, are particularly welcome. Topic editors: Marijana Kapovic Solomun, Milica Vranešević, Zahra Kalantari Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/80279/nature-based-solutions-for-addressing-global-environmental-challenges-in-urban-and-rural-landscapes