Nature-based Solutions for urban climate resilience in South Asia: Cases from Bangladesh, India and Nepal

The document defines Nature-based Solutions (NbS) as actions to protect, manage, and restore ecosystems to address societal challenges while providing biodiversity and human well-being benefits. It identifies a lack of specific NbS frameworks in South Asia but notes that existing national laws and policies in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal provide a foundation for their mainstreaming. The report categorizes NbS into five IUCN-based approaches: ecosystem restoration, issue-specific ecosystem-related, infrastructure-related, ecosystem-based management, and ecosystem-protection. It details 15 urban case studies, including the Yamuna Biodiversity Park in New Delhi, the restoration of riverine areas in Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar, and the Green Lumbini Initiative in Nepal, highlighting the role of multidisciplinary partnerships and community engagement in achieving ecological and socio-economic resilience.

• Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are defined as "actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural or modified ecosystems, that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits".
• The primary hurdle to mainstreaming NbS in South Asia is the "limited policy and legal mechanisms that integrate NbS into governance".
• The Yamuna Biodiversity Park in New Delhi serves as a model for river rejuvenation, increasing plant species from 90 in 2002 to 915 by 2020 and recording a 123% increase in wildlife at specific restoration sites.
• In the Rohingya camps of Ukhiya, Cox's Bazar, NbS interventions including stream restoration and riparian afforestation have improved water security and reduced disaster risks like landslides and flooding.
• The 'Enhancing climate resilience of Gorakhpur' project demonstrated that maintaining peri-urban agricultural lands acts as a flood buffer for the city and doubled the average agricultural income of participating model farmers.
• The Hatirjheel project in Dhaka transformed a polluted wetland into a stormwater retention body, increasing the city's capacity to manage flash floods and improving urban connectivity.
• The Pirojshanagar mangroves in Mumbai, managed by Godrej & Boyce, sequester 60,000 equivalent tonnes of carbon dioxide annually and protect the eastern shoreline from erosion.
• The Green Lumbini Initiative in Nepal focuses on the Sarus crane and has planted over 600,000 tree saplings as part of the 'Million Tree Project' to restore degraded lands.
• The Jaberkhet Nature Reserve in Mussoorie demonstrates a financially sustainable private conservation model that employs local youth as nature guides and rangers.
• In Gangtok, urban sacred groves act as critical carbon sinks and 'green lungs' that mitigate the effects of urban sprawl and air pollution.
• The restoration of Neknampur Lake in Hyderabad utilized phytoremediation and bioremediation, including the installation of India's largest human-made floating island to treat wastewater.
• The 'Oota From Your Thota' movement in Bengaluru promotes urban foodscapes and organic gardening to address water scarcity and food insecurity.
• The Karupannya Rangpur Green Factory in Bangladesh reduced electricity consumption by 80% through the use of natural light, wind, and green wall structures.
• In Lalitpur, Nepal, the creation of 'pocket parks' from vacant lots provides a method to increase permeable surfaces and reduce the urban heat island effect.
• The Dhulikhel municipality in Nepal improved water security by reviving traditional groundwater recharge mechanisms through a network of 64 small-scale ponds and contour trenches.

APA

Fernandes, R., Panwar, V., & Sen, M. (2022). Nature-based Solutions for urban climate resilience in South Asia: Cases from Bangladesh, India and Nepal. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/2022-11/NbS%20Compendium_Nov%202022_final_web.pdf

Chicago

Fernandes, Rithika, Vishakha Panwar, and Monalisa Sen. Nature-based Solutions for urban climate resilience in South Asia: Cases from Bangladesh, India and Nepal. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2022. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/2022-11/NbS%20Compendium_Nov%202022_final_web.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Fernandes |first1=Rithika |last2=Panwar |first2=Vishakha |last3=Sen |first3=Monalisa |title=Nature-based Solutions for urban climate resilience in South Asia: Cases from Bangladesh, India and Nepal |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=November 2022 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/2022-11/NbS%20Compendium_Nov%202022_final_web.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{fernandes2022naturebased, author = {Fernandes, Rithika and Panwar, Vishakha and Sen, Monalisa}, title = {{Nature-based Solutions for urban climate resilience in South Asia: Cases from Bangladesh, India and Nepal}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2022}, month = nov, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/2022-11/NbS%20Compendium_Nov%202022_final_web.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }