Fabrice Renaud

Fabrice Renaud has been with UNU-EHS since 2004 and is the Head of Section for the Environmental Vulnerability and Ecosystem Services Section since 2007. Dr. Renaud’s research has focused on the environmental component of vulnerability, risk and resilience of social-ecological systems exposed to environmental hazards. He is responsible for carrying out research on and developing concepts and projects dealing with the environmental dimension of vulnerability; ecosystem services in the context of disaster risk reduction; the resilience of social-ecological systems to external shocks; water pollution and human and ecosystem exposure to such pollution; and land degradation processes particularly in the context of climate change. These projects have been/are implemented in Europe; Central, South and Southeast Asia; and West Africa.

The role ecosystems play in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) is increasingly recognized globally. Nature-based solutions (NbS) which includes concepts such as ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction and ecosystem-based adaptation, among others, are being implemented globally but implementation rates remain low. This presentation will give a broad overview of the status quo on NbS with a focus on extreme climatic events, recent discussions around the development of frameworks, principles and indicators frame NbS implementation, and discuss potential future activities for NbS development with respect to research and policy.