Using nature to fight climate change

How can conservation science deliver insights that create real-world impact? Amid mounting pressure on natural ecosystems, the diverse team of experts at NUS’ Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions has long understood that effectively safeguarding and restoring precious habitats demands a multidisciplinary approach that takes the socioeconomic, cultural, political and environmental intricacies of climate and conservation policies into account.

One of the Centre’s main projects in 2021 involved researching how protecting carbon-rich mangrove forests fringing coasts around the globe could support climate change mitigation while providing multiple co-benefits. Beyond complex spatial analysis, mapping economically viable conservation projects required a closer look at today’s carbon markets and local conditions to determine where and to what extent carbon credits could help finance mangrove conservation efforts.

Centre Director Prof Koh Lian Pin, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science (FOS), says, “Climate change poses a serious threat to both humans and natural ecosystems. As the impacts of climate change span across sectors, nations and indeed generations, so too must our solutions for mitigating and adapting to it.”

The Centre’s Deputy Director, Assoc Prof Daniel Friess, Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), says, “Habitat conservation requires an inherently interdisciplinary approach. For this work, we brought together a team from FoS and FASS that included mangrove scientists, modellers and researchers with expertise in economics and policy. Such collaborations are essential if we are to translate our science into action.”

The Centre was launched in 2020, and serves as a focal point for research, thought leadership and education on nature-based climate solutions in the Asia Pacific region.