{"id":41311,"date":"2021-10-19T19:03:31","date_gmt":"2021-10-19T17:03:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/?p=41311"},"modified":"2025-12-12T00:23:02","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T23:23:02","slug":"nature-based-solutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ferrovial.com\/blog\/en\/2021\/10\/nature-based-solutions\/","title":{"rendered":"Nature-Based Solutions: Major Allies in the Face of Climate Change"},"content":{"rendered":"

Between the San Salvador volcano and Cerro San Jacinto,\u00a0<\/span>hectares of coffee\u00a0<\/span><\/b>plantations meet paved soil, roads, and buildings. San Salvador, one of the most populated cities in Central America, rises up from nature, home to more than half a million residents.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In June 2020, Tropical Storm Amanda\u00a0<\/span>hit the city<\/span><\/a>, causing major landslides and severe flooding where\u00a0<\/span>the asphalt can’t absorb<\/span><\/b>\u00a0water. The storm\u00a0damaged\u00a0coffee plantations, roads, power lines, and nearly 30,000 homes in its wake.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To restore the soil’s ability to absorb rain in San Salvador,\u00a0<\/span>the CityAdapt project<\/span><\/a>\u00a0aims to restore more than 1,000 hectares of forests and coffee plantations. It’s what’s known as a\u00a0<\/span>Nature-based Solution<\/span><\/b>\u00a0(NBS); these have the ability to make cities and ecosystems more resilient in the face of climate change’s effects.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From nature to buildings<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

NBSs\u00a0are actions that harness\u00a0<\/span>the power of nature<\/span><\/b>\u00a0to deal with the consequences of climate change, such as heatwaves, droughts, floods, and rising sea levels. Planting mangroves to protect coastlines, adding green roofs to buildings, and regenerating wetlands are just a few examples of nature-based solutions.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These aim to protect communities and, in turn, increase the resilience of ecosystems. In cities,\u00a0NBSs can be combined with buildings that are adapted to climate challenges. According to the United\u00a0Nations Environment Program (UNEP), investing in\u00a0<\/span>resilient, well-designed buildings<\/span><\/b>\u00a0is\u00a0<\/span>one of the best solutions<\/span><\/a>\u00a0for adapting to climate change. Their construction can prevent spending millions of dollars on damages and losses.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n