Globally, communities face escalating social, economic, and ecological crises, necessitating innovative solutions that not only mitigate climate change and environmental degradation but also ensure economic prosperity and societal well-being. Nature-based solutions (NBS) encompass diverse strategies that utilize ecosystems and biodiversity to address these crises, leveraging the power of nature to tackle various sustainability challenges. These solutions include restoring ecosystems, sustainably managing land, protecting biodiversity and ecosystems, and creating green infrastructure, among others. As a major driver of economic activity, the corporate sector possesses unparalleled potential to integrate NBS into business strategies and practices and to drive transformative change across strategic geographies. Support for such investments arises from academia and the environmental practitioner sector who are at the forefront of the NBS agenda. The public sector also plays a significant role in the investment and policy development spaces and partnerships between these players are critical to mainstreaming and upscaling NBS investments globally.

This Research Topic explores the multifaceted roles of the private sector in championing NBS and outlines strategies to build a robust business case that aligns corporate sustainability ambitions with habitat restoration, management, protection, and creation. We are interested in research around themes related to but not limited to:

Corporate motivations

• Case studies of corporations, academic institutions, and environmental practitioners successfully implementing NBS, such as carbon offset programs, water replenishment projects, and investments in biodiversity conservation to illustrate effective strategies and outcomes.
• Investigating how businesses and strategic partners can effectively manage risks associated with climate change and environmental degradation through NBS.
• Investigating the integration of NBS into corporate sustainability reports and the associated impacts on stakeholder perceptions. This could also explore consumer attitudes towards companies that adopt NBS and their willingness to pay for sustainable products and services.
• Examining how NBS enhances supply chain resilience and reduces risks for businesses.
• Examining the impact of NBS on employee well-being, productivity, and job satisfaction.

Economic mechanisms, funding, and financing of NBS

• The social and economic rationale behind NBS to showcase the potential cost savings, risk mitigation, and competitive advantages associated with NBS investments.
• Analyzing the role of financial instruments and incentives in promoting investment in NBS.

Engagement, equity, and inclusion

• The importance of stakeholder engagement, including consumers, investors, governments, and communities, in fostering corporate commitments to NBS.
• Investigating the social equity implications of NBS projects and strategies for ensuring inclusivity and community participation.
• Analyzing the role of partnerships between corporations, academia, NGOs, and government agencies in advancing NBS.

Tools and technologies

• Comparison of NBS models and tools to build the business case for NBS and their applicability in the landscape.
• Developing frameworks and methodologies for assessing the environmental, social, and economic performance of NBS initiatives.

Role of government policies and corporate governance structures

• Policy and practice review: the enabling environment for NBS strategies, policies, and legislation.
• Investigating the role of regulations in driving corporate adoption of NBS and the associated challenges and opportunities.

Knowledge transfers, capacity building, and education

• Examining mechanisms for transferring knowledge and building capacity among businesses, academia, and practitioners in the field of NBS.
• Exploring the role of education and awareness campaigns in promoting the adoption of NBS among businesses, consumers, and policymakers.

By examining past and ongoing corporate NBS endeavors, assessing economic and societal benefits, providing lessons learned, and proposing innovative and collaborative frameworks, this Research Topic aims to underscore the critically important role that corporates play in scaling up and mainstreaming investments in NBS globally going forward.

This Research Topic will consider original research, opinions, perspectives, systematic reviews, methods, review articles, policy and practice reviews, community case studies, or policy briefs. Some organizations may opt to collaborate on an article together showcasing their collective outputs rather than individual efforts. Articles may also focus on individual versus collective outputs. Contributions will present different scales of NBS investments e.g. site level, enterprise level, in close connection with a community, or within a partnership. The editors will endeavor to identify NBS projects from both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

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Frontiers in Sustainability

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