A playbook for nature-positive infrastructure development

Increasingly, there has been a growing recognition that two of the greatest global challenges – climate change and biodiversity loss – cannot be meaningfully addressed without a radical shift in how we design and build our infrastructure.

Collaborating with FIDIC and WWF, we created the ‘Playbook for Nature Positive Infrastructure Development’ to highlight how nature-based solutions can be integrated into infrastructure projects to ensure that nature and biodiversity are at the heart of decision-making and design.

The purpose of this playbook is to encourage practitioners and engineers to explore as well as prioritise nature-based solutions, rather than retrofitting or using them as an extra value add-on.

What are nature-based solutions?

Nature-based solutions are defined as actions that harness the power of nature to boost natural ecosystems and biodiversity to tackle socio-environmental issues.

Although many organisations are working to reduce their environmental impact, often only a handful of practices are used. By not branching out and considering alternative nature-based solutions during infrastructure planning, a wealth of knowledge is sitting untapped and infrastructure projects are not meeting their full nature-positive potential. This is why taking a proactive, open-minded approach is essential.

Rethinking nature-positive infrastructure

Designed to inspire engineers, architects and developers, our playbook is a collection of resources that will encourage users to embed a broad scope of nature-based solutions into infrastructure planning from the ground up.

Based on the analysis of almost 200 existing global projects, it offers suggestions organised by sectors, benefits and types of solution. This makes it easy for users to identify the most suitable nature-based approach for their needs.

One of the challenges is that there is a limited understanding of the benefits of nature-based solutions. Therefore, we have included case studies in the playbook which showcase real world examples of how these projects are benefitting the environment and society. For example, by improving climate resilience and creating space for communities to thrive.

An ever-evolving resource for practitioners

As a living document, the playbook will be updated regularly — serving as a source of inspiration and best practice for the entire infrastructure practitioner community, from architects to developers.

Besides being a practical resource, we hope that it will encourage a wider implementation of nature-based solutions. By putting nature at the heart of decision making and design, we can help ensure that infrastructure becomes part of the solution to the global challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss.