Generic ‘nature-based’ framing may distort understanding of the effectiveness of hydrometeorological risk reduction measures

Raška, Pavel (author), Dolejš, Martin (author), Zupanc, Vesna (author), Louda, Jiří (author), Jakubínský, Jiří (author), Bezak, Nejc (author)

The use of natural features for hydrometeorological risk reduction has been recently promoted in international strategies and led to an increasing number of actions framed, in particular, as nature-based solutions (NbS). This has sparked a growing debate about the performative role of these concepts in shaping the funding landscape. While several frameworks have been proposed to evaluate the NbS implementation, they can only be effectively applied if NbS and evaluation indicators are clearly defined within and across the individual projects. In this article, we draw upon knowledge representation theory and we provide an evolutionary analysis of the NbS and related concepts and a review of current funding calls in Europe (n = 53) and individual projects globally (n = 342). This allows us to show how NbS have become dominant in recent practical discussions on hydrometeorological risk reduction. While terminological framing as NbS is needed to link individual projects to pre-existing knowledge, our analysis reveals that it can also tend to leverage and legitimise funding. This leads to adverse effects on expert knowledge-building especially in urban settings where hydrometeorological risk reduction necessitates complex approaches, integrating various measures. We assert that too generic NbS framing introduces additional uncertainty in assessments of NbS effectiveness and potentially excludes other viable measures from consideration and implementation. We therefore argue that coherence between the stated NbS and the indicators capturing effectiveness of actual set of measures is critical for gaining evidence from monitoring of hydrometeorological risk reduction projects. For these purposes, we propose a guideline for transparent reporting of aims, concepts, implementation outcomes, and indicators for projects aiming at hydrometeorological risk reduction. Our work highlights the need for global coherence, cross-sectoral knowledge integration, and context-sensitive evaluations to ensure that NbS deliver multiple co-benefits beyond risk reduction.

• Language: English
• Keywords: ecology, Ellenberg indicator value, biodiversity, bioindicators, trees, Southeast Europe, landform-vegetation unit
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FGG - Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Author Accepted Manuscript
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: 12 str.
• Numbering: [article no.] ǂ114364, Vol. 180
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-176180
• UDC: 502/504:556
• ISSN on article: 1470-160X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2025.114364
• COBISS.SI-ID: 255886083
• Publication date in RUL: 24.11.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Ecological indicators. integrating monitoring, assessment and management
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 1470-160X
• COBISS.SI-ID: 912981

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Description: The most restrictive Creative Commons license. This only allows people to download and share the work for no commercial gain and for no other purposes.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Posploševanje uporabe "nature-based" terminologije lahko izkrivi razumevanje učinkovitosti ukrepov za zmanjšanje posledic hidro-meteoroloških pojavov
• Keywords: "nature-based" rešitve, hidrometeorološki ekstremi, performativnost, financiranje

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: J6-4628
• Name: Vrednotenje hibridne infrastrukture za zmanjševanje ogroženosti pod vplivom podnebnih sprememb