Event Summary

Organization: World Bank Group, GFDRR and JBA Consulting

Session Leads

  • Brenden Jongman, Disaster Risk Management Specialist, The World Bank Group
  • Juliana Castano Isaza, Natural Resources and Disaster Risk Management Specialist, World Bank Group
  • Mark Lawless, Director, JBA Consulting

Speakers

  • Rodolfo Silva Casarín, Universidad Nacional Autonoma Mexico (presentation: “Coastal protection and coral recovery provided by an artificial reef”)
  • Borja G. Reguero, The Nature Conservancy (presentation: “Building resilience in coastal areas through innovative nature based solutions, coral reef restoration and risk financing”)
  • Lars Rosendahl Appelquist, Coastal Hazard Wheel (presentation: “Using tools to help bridge the gap between scientists, policy-makers and stakeholders”)
  • Aboud S. Jumbe, United Republic of Tanzania (presentation: “Helping the Zanzibar Government develop capacity in geospatial mapping and build resilience against natural disaster risk on the archipelago”)

Description

Date: Tuesday, May 15, 2:00pm – 6:00pm

Room: Salon de Actos

Nature Based Solutions have significant potential to mitigate flood and erosion risks and to contribute to climate resilience strategies. Natural systems such as coral reefs, mangroves, forests, and sand banks dissipate and attenuate flood waves, providing natural barriers to risk.  However, the prominence of these features has decreased significantly in the last century due to urbanisation and environmental degradation.

Re-habilitating natural systems in developing countries holds the potential to decrease climate risks while simultaneously creating jobs and improving the environment.  However, to successfully implement appropriate and sustainable Nature Based Solutions we must overcome a number of challenges, including analytical, environmental, financial and institutional barriers.

This interactive session will explore the state of play with respect to the tools and evidence available to evaluate, visualise and communicate the risks and opportunities associated with Nature Based Solutions. The expert panel will discuss recent Nature Based studies in a variety of environments and in a range of countries, reporting on the approaches used, successes and challenges, and areas where new data, research and financing instruments are required.  The session will explore established, adopted and emerging tools and techniques used, for instance, to evaluate the physical effectiveness of Nature Based Solutions, the economics of Nature Based Solutions, and visualisation and communication approaches.

Our panel of experts will engage with the audience to stimulate a frank and open discussion about the state of play regarding the analytics of Nature Based Solutions and the required direction of travel.  The outcome of this session will be to agree a series of headline messages, including:

The state of play with respect to data, modelling, and the visualisation of risk

  • The key challenges and opportunities in design, finance and implementation
  • Good practice in overcoming the challenges
  • Areas where new data, tools, research and technology are required.

Following the event, the panel of authors will summarise the findings of the event in a short report that will be published in an agreed manner.