Title: Nature-based solutions for flood-drought risk mitigation in vulnerable urbanizing parts of East-Africa
Urbanization and climate changes have direct impacts on ecosystems and the services they provide to society, thus influencing human well-being and health. Urban sprawl may conflict with ecosystem services, e.g. enhancing water-related stresses and risks of, e.g., droughts and floods, with significant economic, environmental and societal impacts. Such hydro-climatic extremes and their societal impacts are evident around the world. East Africa is a region with highly vulnerable populations to frequent floods and droughts. To achieve long-term sustainable solutions to such water-related risks and problems, we need to understand and plan for the feedback mechanisms between population expansion and associated land-use changes and their impacts on ecosystem services. The potential of nature-based solutions to mitigate these risk and problems in urban development under climate change needs to be considered and accounted for in spatial planning and management strategies.
Full citation: Kalantari, Z., Ferreira, C. S. S., Keesstra, S., & Destouni, G. (2018). Ecosystem-Based Solutions for Flood-Drought Risk Mitigation in Vulnerable Urbanizing Parts of East-Africa. Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health, Volume 5, 73-78, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coesh.2018.06.003
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