As a key pathway to address climate change and biodiversity loss, and to promote sustainable development, Nature-based Solutions (NbS) have increasingly emerged as a vital theoretical framework and practical tool in global environmental governance. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the primary categories of NbS, including ecological restoration approaches, issue-specific ecosystem-related approaches, infrastructure-related approaches, ecosystem protection approaches, and ecosystem-based management approaches. It also reviews the many ecological, social, and economic benefits generated by NbS practices globally and in China, such as enhanced carbon sequestration, disaster risk reduction, water purification, livelihood improvement, and increased tourism revenue. The findings highlight that the effectiveness of NbS is influenced by a variety of factors, including climatic conditions, spatial patterns, socio-economic contexts, and governance capacity. In addition, the delayed ecological responses and potential trade-offs among ecosystem services present challenges for the long-term implementation and upscaling of NbS. To improve the scientific rigor and applicability of NbS, future efforts should focus on long-term ecological monitoring and dynamic evaluation, developing integrated performance assessment frameworks, and strengthening the integration of local knowledge with supportive policy mechanisms. This review offers theoretical insights and practical guidance for enhancing the implementation of NbS in ecosystem management and policy-making.
Gong et al. (Thu,) studied this question.