Sustainable Solutions from Nature: Research Advancements and Application Prospects in China
1. Wenxin Li, Zhejiang University, China, Professor, China
This research aims to synthesize previous work on Nature-based Solutions, which have gained prominence in climate change and equitable development studies. Using China's National Knowledge Inventory and the WOSB, academic articles on NbS are screened to identify critical points, explore relationships between research pieces, and propose avenues for enhancing NbS in academic and industrial contexts. The study reveals a current focus on object-based schemes rather than subject or goal-based approaches, emphasizing the importance of indigenous resource applications within China's NbS development. The findings shed light on diverse domestic and international methods employed to investigate and implement Nature-based approaches, facilitating their localization in China.
climate change equitable development policy tools ecosystem preservation restoration initiatives sponge towns water management
This study employs statistical methods to assess the progress of NbS research, examining its primary focuses, resource definition, and shifting research agenda. Key topics emerging from the analysis include environmental pollution, ecosystem conservation and restoration, sustainable cities, urban ethics, and equitable development. The findings indicate a growing academic interest in NbS across various disciplines, with a steady increase in publications. Notable focus areas include sponge towns, water management, carbon neutrality, economy, and integrated water-NbS approaches. The shift in NbS studies is observed from philosophical inquiry towards applied work and policy development. However, the study highlights a need for both theoretical and practical knowledge of NbS implementation options, emphasizing the importance of region-specific research in China to address diverse challenges faced throughout the country.
1. An, Y., Gu, B. H., Wang, Y., Tan, X. C., and Zhai, H. B. (2021). Advances, problems and strategies of policy for nature-based solutions in the fields of climate change in China. Clim. Change Res. 17 (2), 184–194. doi:10.12006/j.issn.1673- 1719.2020.100
The author confirms sole responsibility for the following: study conception and design, data collection, analysis and interpretation of results, and manuscript preparation.
The authors did not receive any specific grants from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or non-profit sectors for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
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All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
I thank the following individuals for their expertise and assistance in all aspects of our study and for their help in writing the manuscript. I am also grateful for the insightful comments given by anonymous peer reviewers. Everyone's generosity and expertise have improved this study in myriad ways and saved me from many errors.
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