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FS 3.189

NbS in protected areas: an opportunity to improve management practices?

Details

Full Title
FS 3.189: Nature-based solutions in protected areas: an opportunity to improve management practices?
Scheduled
TBA
Location
TBA
Convener
Camille Morel
Co-Conveners
Isabelle Arpin, Sandra Lavorel,
Assigned to Synthesis Workshop
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Thematic Focus
Adaptation, Conservation, Ecosystems, Socio-Ecology, Sustainable Development
Keywords
Nature based Solutions, Protected areas

Description

Nature-based solutions (NbS) aim to protect, sustainably manage and restore ecosystems to address societal challenges, while supporting human well-being and biodiversity. International environmental policies highlight their role for preserving and valuing biodiversity by providing multiple environmental, economic and social benefits. As such, they are promising instruments for reducing trade-offs and increasing synergies between human activities and protected areas. In spite of this, and because of their recent emergence in science and policy, NbS are rarely mentioned explicitly in planning documents of protected areas whilst they have a strong potential to combine biodiversity conservation, inclusion of local communities and to support their environmental, economic and social needs. In reality mountain protected areas comprise many NbS like sustainable grazing of natural pastures, multifunctional community forest management, slope stabilisation, or restoration and protection of peatbogs, wetlands and lakes. Furthermore, protected area managers are often not familiar with the NbS concept and need a better understanding of the benefits and risks of their implementation. This session will explore the characteristics of NbS in mountain protected areas and their potential for reconciling biodiversity conservation and human activities. It will investigate how to scale up the recognition and implementation of NbS in mountain protected areas by building knowledge among actors, networking initiatives and lifting key social, economic and political barriers. We welcome all interventions on these topics. particularly case studies.

Submitted Abstracts

ID: 3.9102

Addressing the twin crisis of biodiversity loss and climate change through large mountainscape conservation

Graham McDowell

Abstract/Description

Emerging convergence between global climate change and biodiversity agendas highlights the need for integrated responses to these grand challenges. However, examples of successful approaches to tackling this ‘twin crisis’ remain limited. This presentation draws on recent efforts in North America’s Yellowstone to Yukon region, which have focused on producing co-benefits for biodiversity conservation and climate change at large spatial scales. This includes efforts to protect and connect core habitat, to demonstrate the carbon storage and sequestration benefits of such efforts, and to steer adaptations towards approaches that attend to interdependencies between people and nature in a changing climate. Through tangible examples, this talk aims to demonstrate productive alignment between large-mountainscape conservation and key objectives of convergent climate change and biodiversity agendas.

ID: 3.9700

The VIVALP living lab: a co-design approach for the deployment of nature-based solutions in French Alpine protected areas

Camille Morel
Lavorel, Sandra; Arpin, Isabelle

Abstract/Description

Launched in 2023, the VIVALP Living Lab aims to support the implementation of nature-based solutions (NbS) in protected areas to enhance the resilience of regions particularly vulnerable to climate change. Employing a strong co-production approach, VIVALP brings together researchers from diverse disciplinary backgrounds and stakeholders from three territories in the French Alps to design and experiment with solutions tailored to local challenges. This presentation aims to share early insights from VIVALP’s development and stimulate dialogue on how to sustainably embed NbS in mountain areas. It will outline and analyse VIVALP’s co-production process in three key stages.
First, we will describe the main phases of the co-design process, developed in each territory over the first 18 months of the project through participatory workshops, semi-structured interviews and field exchanges: (1) the joint identification of territorial challenges related to biodiversity, based on prior knowledge and stakeholder priorities; (2) the co-definition of a desirable future integrating the three dimensions of NbS (biodiversity, economy and well-being, and social and cultural life); and (3) the joint development of criteria for selecting specific actions targeted by the Living Lab’s research. For the selected actions, pilot experiments will start in Spring 2025 and integrated landscape scenarios for implementing four selected NbS will be co-produced in one of the VIVALP territories.
Secondly, we will describe the inclusive governance structure designed to ensure meaningful stakeholder engagement in technical orientation decisions throughout the project. This includes the establishment of four steering committees: one at the Living Lab level and one in each of the three territories. Additionally, a monitoring and evaluation process has been implemented to assess the co-construction process and the effects of NbS actions. This process includes evaluation questionnaires following each workshop, a comprehensive assessment system addressing the different dimensions of NbS, and Theory of Change workshops.
Finally, we will examine the specific influence of the protected area context: how does it shape the co-design process? Conversely, how can this approach contribute to the management and embedding of NbS in protected areas?

ID: 3.11438

Enhancing the Effectiveness of Protected Areas through Spatial Prioritization

Qi Lai
Beierkuhnlein, Carl

Abstract/Description

Climate change poses a significant threat to biodiversity, particularly in vulnerable regions such as mountain ecosystems, where protected areas (PAs) play a critical role in conserving unique and sensitive habitats. Our research examines how shifts in climate patterns affect the spatial distribution of biodiversity, revealing the susceptibility of these PAs to climate-driven changes. Using climate change velocity as a tool, we identify critical zones where species are likely to experience rapid and unprecedented rates of habitat transformation.
The effectiveness of PAs is increasingly challenged by environmental change, anthropogenic pressures, and climate-driven habitat shifts. While nature-based solutions (NbS) are recognized for enhancing ecosystem resilience, the integration of adaptive management and spatial prioritization strategies is equally crucial for improving PA management. Our research explores spatial prioritization methods that combine climate change velocity with high-resolution environmental data to identify biodiversity hotspots, refugia, and vulnerable areas, particularly in mountain regions, where rapid climate shifts exacerbate conservation challenges.
We highlight that traditional, static protected area boundaries are often misaligned with shifting species distributions and ecological processes, underscoring the need for dynamic conservation strategies. By analyzing PAs in different biogeographical regions and their resilience to climate change, we demonstrate the importance of adaptive strategies that extend beyond static boundaries.
With increasing access to geospatial data, remote sensing, and global biodiversity repositories, conservation planning can now be more precise and adaptive. We propose leveraging these tools to enhance PA networks, ensuring their long-term ecological functionality while balancing conservation goals with societal needs. Integrating NbS, improving connectivity, and strengthening adaptive management practices are essential steps toward making PAs more climate-resilient. These insights reinforce conservation efforts in mountain regions and beyond, ensuring that PAs remain effective in protecting biodiversity under a rapidly changing climate.

ID: 3.13418

Tracing the Past, Managing the Future: Ecosystem Functions across natural and anthropogenic gradients in Darjeeling Himalayas

Jaya Upadhyay

Abstract/Description

Over the past 50 years, the designation of protected areas within biodiversity hotspots has increased, with a notable addition of 123 million hectares of planted forest since 1990. However, global natural forest cover continues to decline, while tree plantations have expanded across all climatic zones. India has implemented one of the largest afforestation programs globally, afforesting between 1 and 1.5 million hectares annually since 1980. These efforts have resulted in complex landscapes comprising diverse forest types, including protected natural forests, monoculture plantations, and mixed native plantations, often interwoven with human-dominated environments. These landscapes present a unique opportunity to examine the relationships between forest biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Ecological theory suggests that forests with high biodiversity typically support enhanced ecosystem functions. This study applies the concept of multifunctionality to quantify ecosystem functions, highlighting how biodiversity patterns are influenced by environmental factors, community abundance, and evenness across small spatial scales. The research focuses on Neora Valley National Park (159.78 sq. km) in the Darjeeling Himalayas, a biodiversity hotspot and an Important Bird Area. Spanning elevations from 183 m to 3,200 m, the park encompasses forest types which includes monoculture plantations, mixed plantations, and natural forests shaped by historical management. This study investigates the influence of natural and anthropogenic factors—such as elevation and forest type—on the diversity and composition of woody plants, birds, and soil biota, alongside key ecosystem functions. Preliminary findings reveal trade-offs and synergies among ecosystem functions and biodiversity across forest types. The study aims to identify optimal forest management strategies that maximize ecosystem functions in Neora Valley National Park. These insights will contribute to developing future nature-based solutions by enhancing conservation strategies and strengthening the protected area management in the Darjeeling Himalayas.

ID: 3.18148

How effective is mycofiltration in the removal of contaminants in water? A systematic review

Sanele Michelle Mnkandla
Otomo, Patricks Voua

Abstract/Description

Mycofiltration is an environment-friendly technology which involves the treatment of contaminated water by passing it through a network of fungal mycelium. This technology has gained momentum over the years, and this systematic review aimed to collate literature on mycofiltration. Literature on water sources subjected to mycofiltration, types of saprophytic fungi employed, contaminants removed by mycofiltration, and contaminant removal efficiencies (R%) was reviewed. Articles, reports and theses were collected from selected academic databases, organisational websites, social and research networking sources, and the Google Scholar search engine. Article screening based on a pre-defined inclusion criteria was conducted in two sequential stages i.e., title and abstract, and full-text. Studies meeting the inclusion criteria were critically appraised. Meta data was extracted from studies of high and medium validity, and a narrative synthesis was done. Twenty-nine articles representing 136 studies (n) passed appraisal. A range of water sources were mycofiltered, and of the total studies, synthetic stormwater (21%) and real wastewater (21%) were the most frequently mycofiltered. Fungi of the Pleurotus genus were predominantly used in creating mycofilters. A range of organic, inorganic and microbial contaminants were removed by mycofiltration. Organic and microbial contaminants were the most studied (n = 40 and n = 47 respectively). Organic contaminants included pharmaceuticals, pesticides, dyes and humic acids with R% ranging between 60-100%. Regarding microbial contaminants, E. coli was the most studied contaminant, and R% of 30%, 60% and 90% were reported. Other microbial contaminants removed were a consortium of bacteria namely S. enteritidis, S. aureus, K. pneumoniae, E. faecium, P. aeruginosa and C. jejun, with a R% ranging between 20-70%. Inorganic contaminants investigated were metals. Zinc and iron which were investigated across all studies, were efficiently removed, with zinc demonstrating a higher R% of more than 90%, while iron ranged between 60-100%. For the other metals (lead, copper, cadmium, nickel, manganese, aluminium, cobalt, silver, and arsenic), removal efficiencies were generally in the extremes, i.e., R% was either high (>90%) or low (<10%). Overally, the review found that contaminant removal by mycofiltration varies, but the technology remains a promising cost effective and environment-friendly tool.

FS 3.187: Digital transition of outdoor sports and tourism in moutain area : transformation of practices in recreational activities, research and management

FS 3.190: Building resilience to climate change through mountain nature-based community enterprises in Africa

#IMC: September 14 - 18 2025

FS 3.189

NbS in protected areas: an opportunity to improve management practices?

Details

Full Title

Scheduled

Location

Convener

Co-Conveners

Assigned to Synthesis Workshop

Thematic Focus

Keywords

Description

Submitted Abstracts

Abstract/Description

Abstract/Description

Abstract/Description

Abstract/Description

Abstract/Description

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