Nature Based Solutions for Water Management: A Critical Review of 21 Case Studies from around the World

Nature-basedsolutions(NBS)areinterventionsforsustainablemanagementanddevelopmentof naturalresources.Itprotectsthe ecosystem and biodiversity and overcomes any existing social barrier. Applications of nature-based solutions have been more effective thanconventionaltechnicalinterventionsinwatermanagement.Thisresearchaimstounderstandtheexistingknowledgebasedonthe applicationsof NBSindifferentcountriesandsituationsforwatercrisismanagementthroughacriticalanalysisof 21casestudies.Thecasestudiesaredividedintofourmaincategories:majorobjective,globaldistribution,majorNBSapplication,andsuccess(failure)stories.Atotalof sevenfactors(watercrisisandflood/flood-livelihoodmanagement,groundwaterreplenishment,environmentaldegradation, and slope instability prevention, payments for ecosystem services (PES), land degradation prevention, agro-ecologytransformation,anddisastermanagementof watershedareasandwetlands)wereobservedbyanalyzingthemainobjectivesof thesecasestudies.Amongthem,moststudiesarerelatedtowatercrises,floods,foodlivelihoodmanagement,andpaymentsforecosystemservices(PES).Aworldwideanalysisof studyareasshowsthattheuseof NBSinterventionsinwatermanagementhasbeenmorewidelyappliedinAfricanriverwatershedsthanintheotherthreecontinents(Asia,NorthAmerica,andSouthAmerica).About81%ofcasesaresuccessfulwhileNBSinterventionshavebeenmade.Advancedecosystemservicesobtainedthroughtheuseof NBSwilldirectlyhelp toachievetheUNSustainableDevelopmentGoals.