Nature-Based Solutions - Used by Tribals in India

In this article, Himanshu Kumar and Nikita Sethi discuss the concept of nature-based solutions and how ignored communities and tribals have substantially contributed to nature conservation and sustainable resource management. Documenting and integrating the indigenous technical knowledge systems into modern knowledge systems could be highly beneficial for India to move towards a more resilient and sustainable future.

- Himanshu Kumar and Nikita Sethi

A term that is dominating the current discourse of environment studies is 'NbS,' that is, Naturebased Solutions; the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) first coined the term for conservation of nature and it has been looked like a potential answer to address the issue of climate change, ensure food security, and prevent natural disasters. The IUCN has defined NbS as "actions to protect, sustainably manage and restore natural or modified ecosystems that address  adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits." While the European Commission defines it as "living solutions inspired by, continuously supported by, and using nature, which are designed to address various societal challenges in a resource-efficient and adaptable manner and to provide simultaneously economic, social, and environmental benefits."

The concept is now gaining popularity, and critical policymakers and institutions started diligently following this during the late 2000s. The world is now more focused on understanding the nexus of man and nature and how both adaptive capacities can be brought to a consensus to drive the future of human civilizations.

This has marked a shift from the agenda of seeking technology-based solutions, which are equally important, but institutions such as the IUCN and the World Bank over the years shifted their focus on finding solutions through ecosystems rather than conventional engineering. There are two primary techniques to address the climate crisis, and one is mitigation which is essentially technology-centric. The other is adaptation, which essentially focuses on behavioural changes or physical characteristics that help an organism survive in its environment.