An action-oriented research agenda for equitable and meaningful nature-based solutions in urban areas

Rachel Buxton , Chuk Odenigbo, Emma J. Hudgins, Courtney Robichaud, Robin Mazumder, Steven J. Cooke, Kimberly Matheson, Paul Villeneuve, John M Zelensky, Tanya Halsall, Catherine Bonier, Christopher Stoney, Jaimie Vincent, Doug Anderson, Adrina C Bardekjian, Andrew Hatala, Simon Brascoupe, Natalie Brown, Verna Crossman, Jacqueline Hamilton, Nadha Hassen, Melissa Lem, Scott MacIvor, Megan Meaney, Lorien Nesbitt, Amanda O'Rourke, Camilo Ordóñez Barona, Stephanie A Prince, Gary Pritchard, Jode Roberts, Jacqueline L Scott, Carly D Ziter, Meaghan Eastwood, Bev Windjack, Thomas Bowers, Joseph R Bennett

Nature-based solutions provide opportunities to address the urgent, interconnected global challenges of environmental conservation, public health, and social justice in urban areas. Despite growing interest among policy-makers, the outcomes of nature-based solutions at the nexus of biodiversity, human health, and social justice are not well understood. We gathered a group of experts from different disciplines, organizations, lived experiences, and ways of knowing to identify key knowledge gaps to guide research for more effective urban nature-based solutions. Workshop discussions highlighted the need to diversify knowledge production around designing and implementing nature-based solutions through three guiding principles: 1) breaking down existing power imbalances and centring Indigenous knowledges; 2) learning by doing; and 3) co-developing research across disciplines, perspectives, ways of knowing, nations, communities, and institutions. Experts identified 33 key knowledge gaps emphasizing the importance of a more action-oriented research agenda, including better evaluation of the outcomes of urban nature-based solutions; diversifying methodologies and approaches; exploring links and trade-offs among goals for biodiversity conservation, health, and equity; and increasing support for nature-based solutions through education and communication. Given the urgency of the environmental crisis, the rapid rise in mental illnesses, increasing pressure on health care systems, and the undue burden borne by marginalized communities, a coordinated research agenda that uses a social justice lens, breaks institutional silos, and prioritizes real-world solutions is paramount. If urban nature-based solutions are to meet the goal of providing benefits for both human well-being and biodiversity, coordinated efforts must reflect the complexity of what it means for human and non-human organisms to live in urban environments.