Equitably scaling up Nature-based Solutions in African Cities
The African continent is among the world’s most urbanising regions, with more than 70% of its population projected to live in urban areas by 2050. Rapid population growth and urbanisation are accompanied by land-use changes and severe biodiversity decline, alongside disproportionate climate extremes affecting cities. Although actions to protect, restore, and sustainably manage ecosystems, known as Nature-based Solutions (NbS), have emerged as an effective approach to address climate change and biodiversity loss while providing social benefits, their implementation has remained insufficiently investigated. This project aims to assess the contributions of NbS initiatives in African cities to climate change mitigation and adaptation, as well as to social benefits. This can inform a holistic approach that supports the equitable scaling of NbS beyond conventional paradigms.
Keywords
Green and Blue Infrastructure, Nature-based Solutions, environmental justice, Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation
Countries
Multiple
Duration
March 2026 – February 2028
Methodology
The project combines a review of NbS literature and project databases with interviews in a mixed-methods qualitative and quantitative approach.
Partners
Main Cooperation Partners
Main Funding Partner
- Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
Team
- Chrispo Babila Dingha
- Lisa Biber-Freudenberger