Governance models for nature-based solutions: Seventeen cases from Germany

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Climate Change Adaptation
• Water Resource Management

Background:

• Nature-based solutions (NBS) are gaining traction for climate change mitigation.
• Research gaps exist in understanding the governance of NBS, particularly for flood risk management.
• Germany is implementing various NBS for flood risk management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of implemented NBS for flood risk management in Germany.
• To identify and analyze the governance models applied to these NBS projects.
• To explore the differences and commonalities among these governance models.

Main Methods:

• Hierarchical clustering procedure for analyzing governance models.
• Qualitative analysis of implemented NBS projects.
• Comparative study of governance structures in German flood risk management.

Main Results:

• No single governance model is universally applicable to NBS for flood risk management.
• Polycentric governance emerged as a significant common characteristic across studied projects.
• Identified variations in governance approaches despite the commonality of polycentricism.

Conclusions:

• Further research is needed on the evolution of traditional governance models and paradigm shifts in NBS implementation.
• Findings offer insights into successful past NBS projects for flood risk management.
• Key factors for future NBS implementation in flood risk management are highlighted.