Nature-based solutions

The IFRC is helping communities worldwide take steps to sustainably manage their natural environment to protect themselves from disaster risks. Our aim is for 100 National Societies to be putting in place nature-based solutions within their communities by 2025.

What are nature-based solutions?

Nature-based solutions are actions that protect, sustainably manage or restore an ecosystem in order to address societal challenges—such as disaster risk, climate change, food security, water security or human health.

They include protecting and restoring forests, the protection of mangroves and coral reefs, the conservation and restoration of wetlands and the creation of urban green spaces.

Nature-based solutions are increasingly being recognized as an effective and cost-efficient way of reducing disaster risks, helping people adapt to climate change and building community resilience. They can address all three parts of the risk equation by:

  • Preventing or mitigating hazards themselves
  • Limiting people’s exposure to hazards
  • Limiting people’s vulnerability

Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies around the world have been implementing nature-based solutions for many years—from mangrove and coral reef restoration in Jamaica to soil restoration in Haiti.

Watch: How can we work with nature to protect people?

Global project: Greening Red Cross and Red Crescent Disaster Risk Reduction

Through our global Greening Red Cross and Red Crescent project we are putting in place nature-based solutions in diverse settings around the world to help build community resilience against natural hazards.

Launched in 2020, the project involves:

  • Working with communities in Jamaica, the Philippines and Viet Nam to design and deliver disaster risk reduction projects involving nature-based solutions
  • Developing new tools and guidelines on nature-based solutions for disaster risk reduction
  • Promoting nature-based solutions and sharing lessons learned within and beyond our global network to improve the knowledge and capacity of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

The project is a partnership between the IFRC, American Red Cross, Jamaican Red Cross, Philippines Red Cross and Viet Nam Red Cross. It is funded by USAID and supported by expert partners and local stakeholders.

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