There is a steady rise in the adoption of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) projects to fight the impacts of climate change with several new projects initiated has grown by an average of 15% annually between 2012 and 2021.
A new report by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Bank, with contributions from the African Development Bank (AfDB), disclosed this.
The report identified 297 Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) projects launched between 2012 and 2023, which utilised NBS either as an alternative to or in combination with traditional grey infrastructure to enhance climate resilience.
The majority of these projects were designed to achieve multiple objectives, with the most common being improvements in water quality, water supply, flood mitigation, and control of erosion and landslides.
It also emphasizes that despite the growing interest in Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), greater investment is still needed.
Between 2012 and 2021, funding for NBS projects in Sub-Saharan Africa increased by 23% annually, reaching over $12 billion.
However, this is still significantly below the $100 billion annual infrastructure financing gap the region faces.
These projects, which include the protection and restoration of forests, wetlands, floodplains, and coral reefs, often in conjunction with traditional ‘grey’ infrastructure, are enhancing climate resilience while delivering co-benefits such as job creation, biodiversity improvement, and social equity.
Project types and investment size
To differentiate between various project types and investment sizes, the report’s authors categorized the projects into three groups: green-grey, green, and small-scale.
These categories were created to address the unique requirements of each project type, including aspects such as project planning, design, implementation, technical expertise, resource allocation, stakeholder engagement, and impact assessment.
Small-scale projects are generally community-driven, while large-scale green-grey and green projects require complex coordination among stakeholders, significant investment, and detailed planning and management due to their size and impact.
Green-gray projects made up the largest group, with 95 projects initiated between 2012 and 2021. These projects secured a total of $8.8 billion in funding, with $3.5 billion allocated specifically for NBS implementation.
Combining NBS interventions such as green (e.g., forest restoration to prevent landslides) or blue (e.g., coral reef restoration to reduce erosion) with grey infrastructure, these projects averaged $108 million each, with funding ranging from $1 million to $909 million. Over half of these projects were led by the infrastructure sectors of national governments.
Green-gray projects were often funded by multilateral development banks (MDBs) and aimed to deliver a range of co-benefits, including job creation and improvements to public health.
Green projects formed the second-largest group, with 83 projects initiated between 2012 and 2021.
These projects secured a total of $3.7 billion in funding, with $1.8 billion allocated for NBS implementation.
Unlike green-grey projects, green projects used only green or blue NBS interventions—without grey infrastructure—to meet climate resilience goals.
Funding for green projects ranged from $1 million to $500 million, with an average project size of $54 million.
They were typically developed by national governments’ environment and natural resource departments and funded by multilateral donors and funds.
These projects were primarily designed to enhance biodiversity and support job creation as co-benefits.
Small-scale projects, the third group, consisted of 67 projects initiated between 2012 and 2021.
Twenty-one of these projects disclosed a total funding amount of $6.7 million, with individual projects securing between $50,000 and $910,000, averaging $370,000 per project.
NBS-specific funding could not be calculated, as the projects did not separate total funding from NBS implementation costs.
These projects mainly utilised green or blue NBS components, with few incorporating green-gray interventions.
Funded by multilateral donors, multilateral funds, and NGOs, and developed by NGOs, these projects focused on co-benefits such as job creation and biodiversity enhancement.
The World Bank’s Country Director for Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, and Uganda, Qimiao Fan, stated that the loss of nature and climate risks are intrinsically connected, particularly in Africa.
“We need to ensure that projects and policies comprehensively address the challenges and offer inclusive and effective solutions for the most vulnerable groups.”
The report offers several recommendations to accelerate the adoption of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) in Sub-Saharan Africa, which is on the frontlines of the global climate crisis.
These include integrating nature into policies and plans, enhancing technical capacity to develop project pipelines, and diversifying funding sources.
To support the NBS investment preparation efforts of the World Bank and AfDB, WRI has launched the Green-Gray Infrastructure Accelerator.
This initiative aims to assist 11 cities across Sub-Saharan Africa in integrating Nature-Based Solutions with traditional “grey” infrastructure.
It will offer technical, policy, and financial support, helping these cities lay the foundation for their initial projects while also connecting them with financiers to scale up existing efforts.
President & CEO of the World Resources Institute, Ani Dasgupta, said the world often views infrastructure as roads, bridges, and buildings — just concrete and steel. But nature — forests, trees, wetlands, coral reefs — is equally essential.
“It supplies clean water, protects communities from disasters, and strengthens resilience. Across Africa, cities and communities are proving that green and grey infrastructure can work together to maximize benefits for people, nature and climate — and the world should take note.”
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