Search

WP 4

Risk reduction measures including NBS

WP4 Lead: NGI

Main contact person: Vittoria Capobianco: vittoria.capobianco@ngi.no

Main objective:

Reduce risk using nature-based solutions

WP4 will identify the potential mitigation measures relevant for reducing risk from the hazards identified in WP2. The activity will have its largest focus on Nature Based Solutions (NBS), which are mitigation measures inspired and/or supported by nature. This includes sustainable management of land, water and resources, such as vegetation cover or waterways management. However, as NBS cannot always be sufficient for risk reduction, the work package will also look into which contexts NBS can function adequately and in which context traditional engineered ‘grey’ solutions must be used, sometimes in combination with NBS, as ‘hybrid’ solutions.

The successful implementation of NBS will reduce the risk to the local populations and prevent the accumulated impacts of the localized events from becoming large-scale disasters in densely populated urban areas far away from the source of hazard. NordicLink will demonstrate that NBS can supplement or supplant traditional engineered structures to increase the social and economic resilience of the Nordic region to impending climate changes. A key outcome of this objective will be involving stakeholders to incorporate NBS in policy and planning standards developed by infrastructure owners and government.

Main research question:

How can NBS be harnessed to provide attractive alternatives or additions to engineered ‘grey’ structures for natural hazard management along linear infrastructure?

NordicLink hypothesises that awareness and case-study documentation is required to demonstrate that NBS can replace traditional approaches. Research activities will focus on NBS solutions for the identified hazards, reviewing case studies, and developing field-based applications.

Individual tasks include

  • Identifying relevant Nature-based solutions for the hazards involved
  • Evaluation of the potential effectiveness of the NBSs identified
  • Hybrid solutions and comparison of their effectiveness in relation with the NBS and traditional “grey” solutions. 

T4.2 and T4.3 will be performed in cooperation with the H2020 project ‘PHUSICOS’, which has developed a comprehensive framework to assess the functionality of NBS.