Foro Global sobre Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición (Foro FSN)

Este miembro contribuyó a:

    • Our SIDS region is the Pacific.

      Nature-based solutions for Pacific cities: Integrating seascapes and landscapes for sustainable coastal settlements and communities.

      Marine habitats have always been essential for human life. They provide food, building and crafting materials for urban livelihoods, and less-known services such as coastal protection, nutrient cycling and pollution filtration and need to be protected because of their ecological, economic, and social value. Unplanned urban expansion into marine and coastal ecosystems is an issue that countries cannot afford to ignore. Tackling this issue requires addressing the complexities of the marine and coastal environment in urban planning and development through initiatives that provide co-benefits for sustainable development, such as nature-based solutions.

      Nature-based solutions are living solutions inspired and supported by the use of natural processes and structures, and are designed to address climate change and various environmental challenges in an efficient and adaptable manner, while simultaneously providing economic, social, and environmental benefits (European Commission, 2015). The core idea is to use the benefits of ecosystem services to address challenges a system faces and create additional benefits. For instance, rehabilitating coastal vegetation such as mangroves and seagrass beds (in combination or instead of built environment solutions) reduces coastal erosion and increases resilience against flooding, while sequestering carbon and providing habitats for wildlife that are central for coastal livelihoods. Types of interventions relevant to Pacific settlements include: ecosystem restoration, greening of grey surfaces (e.g., green rooftops, green walls or greened brownfields), and integrated broad scale climate change mitigation and adaptation measures, e.g., natural flood control through eco-engineering for green infrastructure. Nature-based solutions founded on ecological principles can reduce the impacts of rapid unplanned urban development on natural habitats. However, applications of “blue-green” infrastructure remain largely untested at large scales in the Pacific.

      New designs, building strategies and spatial planning that integrate seascapes and landscapes are an opportunity for both ocean-friendly cities and experimentation for the development of successful blue-green technologies. Eco-engineering remains under-utilized in the management of marine urban sprawl in the Pacific partly due to the fragmentation of policies and incentives driving ecologically sustainable development below the waterline. In response to these issues during the launch of the Ocean Pathway championed by Fiji at COP23, UN ESCAP pledged its support for building resilience and protecting ocean health in coastal island settlements from ridge to reef. UN ESCAP is embarking on a new initiative in partnership with the Pacific Centre for Environment and Development (PACE-SD) housed at the University of the South Pacific (USP) to strengthen the capacity of Pacific SIDS member States to develop and apply an integrated policy approach for ocean-friendly and climate-responsive urban development adapted to island systems.

      To learn more about this initiative please contact: ESCAP-EDD-SUDS <[email protected]>