Publicação
Nature-based solutions to address climate change and sustainability challenges in green cities: the case study of Cavalum River (Penafiel), Portugal)
| Resumo: | Cities face increasingly complex scenarios in the context of demographic growth, limited available land, municipal resources, and funds. Additionally, they face global challenges that make them especially vulnerable to climate change, water security issues, air pollution, and deteriorating public health and well-being. In recent years, the European Union played a central role in promoting the implementation of NbS in cities through the European Urban Agenda 2050 and the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation for 2021–2027, aiming to connect urban, regional and environmental policies and combine specified ecosystem-based approaches with social and economic dimensions. In this context, the Municipality of Penafiel signed the European Commission’s “Green City Accord” (GCA) encourages policymakers to develop greener and healthier cities. Most of the world's population lives in cities, so it is imperative that managers think and plan carefully, for city inhabitants have a higher quality of life. Through the GCA this objective can be reached while objectives, several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be addressed. The implementation of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in Urban Green Areas will help increase the resilience of these ecosystems and address climate change, by tackling urban problems such as heat waves, floods, air, water, and noise pollution, while addressing other societal challenges. A landscape approach is essential when planning ecosystem restoration, supported by NbS and ecosystem-based strategies. The NbS framework provides an opportunity to better integrate the agendas of climate action, disaster risk reduction and biodiversity conservation into a coherent and holistic approach. Therefore, a NbS project was implemented in an urban green area to tackle several societal challenges and assess through the IUCN Global Standard for NbS self-assessment tool, to a Portuguese case study: the Cavalum River, in the City of Penafiel, specifically the Cavalum Valley. Situ surveys and data collection regarding biodiversity were carried out, as well as the identification of the main societal challenges and ecosystem services provided. The results highlight the relevance of the Cavalum Valley’s role as an urban green space with the capability, through NbS interventions, to have the heterogeneity needed to support biodiversity and increase ES functions, while complying with the GCA mandatory indicators for Penafiel, helping the implementation of the SDGs. The IUCN Global Standard for NbS tool allowed the link of different criteria and indicators, leading to a more comprehensive and effective co-management, involving policymakers, managers, and key stakeholders. This allowed all intervenient to have a more holistic view of the project's design, implementation, and monitoring, increasing transparency in decisionmaking. |
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| Autores principais: | Pinto, Mónica Patrícia Quelhas |
| Assunto: | Climate Change Nature-based Solutions |
| Ano: | 2023 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | dissertação de mestrado |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso aberto |
| Instituição associada: | Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | Repositório da UTAD |
| Resumo: | Cities face increasingly complex scenarios in the context of demographic growth, limited available land, municipal resources, and funds. Additionally, they face global challenges that make them especially vulnerable to climate change, water security issues, air pollution, and deteriorating public health and well-being. In recent years, the European Union played a central role in promoting the implementation of NbS in cities through the European Urban Agenda 2050 and the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation for 2021–2027, aiming to connect urban, regional and environmental policies and combine specified ecosystem-based approaches with social and economic dimensions. In this context, the Municipality of Penafiel signed the European Commission’s “Green City Accord” (GCA) encourages policymakers to develop greener and healthier cities. Most of the world's population lives in cities, so it is imperative that managers think and plan carefully, for city inhabitants have a higher quality of life. Through the GCA this objective can be reached while objectives, several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be addressed. The implementation of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in Urban Green Areas will help increase the resilience of these ecosystems and address climate change, by tackling urban problems such as heat waves, floods, air, water, and noise pollution, while addressing other societal challenges. A landscape approach is essential when planning ecosystem restoration, supported by NbS and ecosystem-based strategies. The NbS framework provides an opportunity to better integrate the agendas of climate action, disaster risk reduction and biodiversity conservation into a coherent and holistic approach. Therefore, a NbS project was implemented in an urban green area to tackle several societal challenges and assess through the IUCN Global Standard for NbS self-assessment tool, to a Portuguese case study: the Cavalum River, in the City of Penafiel, specifically the Cavalum Valley. Situ surveys and data collection regarding biodiversity were carried out, as well as the identification of the main societal challenges and ecosystem services provided. The results highlight the relevance of the Cavalum Valley’s role as an urban green space with the capability, through NbS interventions, to have the heterogeneity needed to support biodiversity and increase ES functions, while complying with the GCA mandatory indicators for Penafiel, helping the implementation of the SDGs. The IUCN Global Standard for NbS tool allowed the link of different criteria and indicators, leading to a more comprehensive and effective co-management, involving policymakers, managers, and key stakeholders. This allowed all intervenient to have a more holistic view of the project's design, implementation, and monitoring, increasing transparency in decisionmaking. |
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