Nature Based Solutions: A WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING

Friends of the Earth International (FOEI) rejects Nature Based Solutions (NBS), characterizing it as a 'wolf in sheep's clothing' that instrumentalizes nature to serve corporate profits and 'net-zero' offsetting schemes. The document contends that NBS promotes monoculture plantations, enables the financialization of nature, and threatens the sovereignty of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. FOEI argues that NBS distracts from the urgent need to phase out fossil fuels and instead advocates for systemic changes such as agroecology and Community Forest Management (CFM).

• The concept of Nature Based Solutions (NBS) is criticized for being vaguely defined, which allows it to encompass both beneficial restoration and harmful practices like monoculture tree plantations and industrial agriculture.
• NBS is viewed as a tool for corporate greenwashing, particularly for the fossil fuel and agribusiness sectors, allowing them to maintain destructive business models through 'net-zero' pledges and carbon offsets.
• The document argues that NBS leads to the financialization of nature, treating ecosystems as asset classes for market mechanisms and carbon credits, which risks triggering massive resource grabs from local communities in the global South.
• Large-scale implementation of NBS, specifically reforestation, would require vast amounts of land—potentially up to 700 million hectares—which FOEI claims would inevitably lead to land grabbing and human rights violations.
• NBS is accused of distracting from the essential requirement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the source and phase out fossil fuels, as offsets do not reduce overall atmospheric CO2 concentrations.
• In the agricultural sector, NBS is seen as a 'junk version' of agroecology that promotes 'sustainable intensification'—which maintains industrial farming's focus on productivity and technology—rather than structural food system transformation.
• FOEI proposes that real solutions for system change lie in Community Forest Management (CFM) and agroecology, which are based on traditional knowledge and the recognition of land rights for Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

APA

Chandrasekaran, K., Marian, N., Rojas, I., & Shaw, S. (2021). Nature Based Solutions: A WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Nature-based-solutions_a-wolf-in-sheeps-clothing.pdf

Chicago

Chandrasekaran, Kirtana, Nele Marian, Isaac Rojas, and Sara Shaw. Nature Based Solutions: A WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING. Friends of the Earth International, 2021. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Nature-based-solutions_a-wolf-in-sheeps-clothing.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Chandrasekaran |first1=Kirtana |last2=Marian |first2=Nele |last3=Rojas |first3=Isaac |last4=Shaw |first4=Sara |title=Nature Based Solutions: A WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=October 2021 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Nature-based-solutions_a-wolf-in-sheeps-clothing.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{chandrasekaran2021nature, author = {Chandrasekaran, Kirtana and Marian, Nele and Rojas, Isaac and Shaw, Sara}, title = {{Nature Based Solutions: A WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING}}, publisher = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2021}, month = oct, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Nature-based-solutions_a-wolf-in-sheeps-clothing.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }