Australasian Journal of Water Resources

Nature-based Solutions for managing water resources, waterways and catchments

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are gaining momentum worldwide as practical responses to complex, interrelated challenges, from biodiversity loss to climate adaptation and landscape resilience. Nature-based Solutions have much relevance to water resources management because they offer integrated approaches to address environmental and societal challenges through the protection, restoration, and sustainable management of natural or modified ecosystems. Their potential to support flood mitigation, water quality improvement, and community resilience is increasingly being recognised and investigated.

In theory, Nature-based Solutions are attractive because they can address multiple problems at once. Yet in practice their application is often complex and site specific and despite their promise, many government agencies have limited experience in applying them.

As interest grows across government, industry and the environmental sector, so too does the need for a better understanding of how NbS are being applied and what is being learnt as we move from recognising the broad potential of NbS to practical implementation.

This special edition will accept articles that advance understanding of the theory and practice of NbS as applied to managing water resources, waterways (streams, rivers and wetlands) and catchments. The special edition has a broad remit and will accept articles that cover any dimensions of NbS as applied to water resources, waterways and catchments including on managing water quality or mitigating flood risk, through for example restoring riparian revegetation or constructing wetlands. NbS has much in common with water sensitive urban design, which has been adopted in some regions for several decades. Therefore, original research or reviews of this experience in modifying urban water systems are welcome. Articles may include theoretical advances, critical studies, and case studies that link policy, theory and practice, planning and management frameworks and lessons from implementation in diverse bioregions.

Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit articles on any dimension of NbS including technical and design considerations, policy and planning dimensions, social considerations for implementation such as acceptance, their contribution to natural resource management and other benefits community engagement, and the experience of local Landcare and friends of groups. This may include articles focused on:

• understand key concepts and practices underpinning NbS
• identify how NbS are being applied to diverse problems in diverse locations, bioregions and climate zones
• local, national and international experience in applying NbS including in urban or rural systems
• case studies of NbS applied in practice
• the major barriers and enablers to adoption of NbS

The aim of the special edition is to advance understanding of

• the theory underpinning Nature-based Solutions
• how NbS contributes to flood mitigation and improvement of water quality and ecological health
• how NbS can be integrated into urban, regional or infrastructure including for example design guidelines, targets and evaluation of NbS projects and practices
• methods and approaches for refining opportunities and options, and determining the costs, benefits, and limitations of NbS
• NbS design and risk management under climate change
• planning frameworks, economic analysis, community engagement and grounded problem solving