Nature-Based Solutions Mainstreaming: Challenges and Opportunities for Climate-Related Natural Hazards Mitigation in Western Balkans Countries
Nature-based solutions (NbS) provide a unique opportunity to address sustainable development challenges and supply benefits for both people and nature, such as support for climate change mitigation. This study compiles information about the most common climate-related natural hazards in the Western...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Croatian Forest Research Institute
2025-01-01
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| Series: | South-East European Forestry |
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| Online Access: | https://hrcak.srce.hr/file/481993 |
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| author | Marijana Kapović Solomun Saša Eremija Igor Bogunović Artan Hysa Goran Češljar Ilija Čigoja Carla S.S. Ferreira |
| author_facet | Marijana Kapović Solomun Saša Eremija Igor Bogunović Artan Hysa Goran Češljar Ilija Čigoja Carla S.S. Ferreira |
| author_sort | Marijana Kapović Solomun |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Nature-based solutions (NbS) provide a unique opportunity to address sustainable development challenges and supply benefits for both people and nature, such as support for climate change mitigation. This study compiles information about the most common climate-related natural hazards in the Western Balkans (WB) region. It assesses the institutional, policy, and legal framework for implementing NbS to address these problems. The study compares the policies, knowledge gaps, and current challenges to NbS mainstreaming in Croatia, a European Union (EU) country, with those in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Albania as non-EU countries. In EU countries, the policy framework transposes the main European Directives, which enforce the need to implement NbS, climate change, and natural hazards mitigation, mainly focused on built infrastructure or technical measures in non-EU countries. The possibilities to mainstream NbS, such as the need for a centralized governance structure, using NbS to integrate different sectoral policies, and the involvement of stakeholders and funding agencies, are discussed. The WB region must advance NbS implementation for climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and other pressing societal challenges. The institutional structure and policy framework relevant to implementing NbS to mitigate climate-related natural hazards show similarities between the WB countries. However, significant differences, particularly regarding transposition of EU Directives between the EU and non-EU WB countries, are easily recognizable. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e49fd7d2a1ec4a7cb064c77b4c518ece |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 1847-6481 1849-0891 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Croatian Forest Research Institute |
| record_format | Article |
| series | South-East European Forestry |
| spelling | doaj-art-e49fd7d2a1ec4a7cb064c77b4c518ece2025-07-08T20:35:31ZengCroatian Forest Research InstituteSouth-East European Forestry1847-64811849-08912025-01-01161738410.15177/seefor.25-11Nature-Based Solutions Mainstreaming: Challenges and Opportunities for Climate-Related Natural Hazards Mitigation in Western Balkans CountriesMarijana Kapović Solomun0Saša Eremija1Igor Bogunović2Artan Hysa3Goran Češljar4Ilija Čigoja5Carla S.S. Ferreira6University of Banja Luka, Faculty of Forestry, Department of Forest Ecology, Stepe Stepanovića 75A, BA-78000 Banja Luka, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and HerzegovinaInstitute of Forestry, Department of Forest Establishment, Silviculture and Ecology, Kneza Višeslava 3, RS-11000 Belgrade, SerbiaUniversity of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of General Agronomy, Svetošimunska 25, HR-10000 Zagreb, CroatiaTechnical University of Munich, School of Life Sciences, Alte Akademie 8, DE‑85354 Freising, GermanyInstitute of Forestry Belgrade, Department of Spatial regulation, GIS and Forest Policy, Kneza Višeslava 3, RS-11000 Belgrade, SerbiaUniversity of Banja Luka, Faculty of Forestry, Department of Forest Ecology, Stepe Stepanovića 75A, BA-78000 Banja Luka, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and HerzegovinaPolytechnic Institute of Coimbra, Research Centre for Natural Resources Environment and Society (CERNAS), Bencanta, PT-3045-601 Coimbra, PortugalNature-based solutions (NbS) provide a unique opportunity to address sustainable development challenges and supply benefits for both people and nature, such as support for climate change mitigation. This study compiles information about the most common climate-related natural hazards in the Western Balkans (WB) region. It assesses the institutional, policy, and legal framework for implementing NbS to address these problems. The study compares the policies, knowledge gaps, and current challenges to NbS mainstreaming in Croatia, a European Union (EU) country, with those in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Albania as non-EU countries. In EU countries, the policy framework transposes the main European Directives, which enforce the need to implement NbS, climate change, and natural hazards mitigation, mainly focused on built infrastructure or technical measures in non-EU countries. The possibilities to mainstream NbS, such as the need for a centralized governance structure, using NbS to integrate different sectoral policies, and the involvement of stakeholders and funding agencies, are discussed. The WB region must advance NbS implementation for climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and other pressing societal challenges. The institutional structure and policy framework relevant to implementing NbS to mitigate climate-related natural hazards show similarities between the WB countries. However, significant differences, particularly regarding transposition of EU Directives between the EU and non-EU WB countries, are easily recognizable.https://hrcak.srce.hr/file/481993EU and non EU countriesnature-based solutionsclimate changepolicy and institutional framework |
| spellingShingle | Marijana Kapović Solomun Saša Eremija Igor Bogunović Artan Hysa Goran Češljar Ilija Čigoja Carla S.S. Ferreira Nature-Based Solutions Mainstreaming: Challenges and Opportunities for Climate-Related Natural Hazards Mitigation in Western Balkans Countries South-East European Forestry EU and non EU countries nature-based solutions climate change policy and institutional framework |
| title | Nature-Based Solutions Mainstreaming: Challenges and Opportunities for Climate-Related Natural Hazards Mitigation in Western Balkans Countries |
| title_full | Nature-Based Solutions Mainstreaming: Challenges and Opportunities for Climate-Related Natural Hazards Mitigation in Western Balkans Countries |
| title_fullStr | Nature-Based Solutions Mainstreaming: Challenges and Opportunities for Climate-Related Natural Hazards Mitigation in Western Balkans Countries |
| title_full_unstemmed | Nature-Based Solutions Mainstreaming: Challenges and Opportunities for Climate-Related Natural Hazards Mitigation in Western Balkans Countries |
| title_short | Nature-Based Solutions Mainstreaming: Challenges and Opportunities for Climate-Related Natural Hazards Mitigation in Western Balkans Countries |
| title_sort | nature based solutions mainstreaming challenges and opportunities for climate related natural hazards mitigation in western balkans countries |
| topic | EU and non EU countries nature-based solutions climate change policy and institutional framework |
| url | https://hrcak.srce.hr/file/481993 |
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