Commonwealth Futures Climate Research Cohort Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for Coastal Adaptation: a Comparison between Nigeria and Scotland

Scotland's marine and coastal landscapes are facing numerous pressures from climate change, which negatively impacts both ecosystem functioning and communities who live and work along the coasts. Meanwhile in Nigeria, rising sea levels, coastal erosion, increased precipitation, storms, and warmer ocean temperatures pose similar threats to coastal communities and ecosystems.

In order to protect coastal communities in both countries from increasing climate change impacts, strategies for adaptation are urgently needed. Nature-based solutions (NbS) - or actions to protect, manage, or restore ecosystems - are promising alternatives to traditional engineering methods for climate adaptation.

However, knowledge gaps and uncertainties about NbS currently hamper its widespread uptake. The impacts of NbS are not always recognised at community levels, and high-level science is often misunderstood by the public. Such knowledge gaps are barriers to developing the full potential of NbS for climate, nature, and people across Scotland and Nigeria. Therefore, a clear statement of the implications of NbS for human wellbeing – as well as effective communication with local communities – is vital on the road towards implementing NbS approaches with the buy-in of decision-makers and community stakeholders.