Background: Facing increasing climate risks, South Korea's local governments are adopting adaptation plans in which nature-based solutions offer a sustainable, cost-effective approach with multiple benefits.
Objectives: This study aims to analyze the ...
Background: Facing increasing climate risks, South Korea's local governments are adopting adaptation plans in which nature-based solutions offer a sustainable, cost-effective approach with multiple benefits.
Objectives: This study aims to analyze the application of nature-based solutions within local climate adaptation plans in South Korea and examine the co-benefits and trade-offs.
Methods: This study classified 9,212 local climate adaptation measures into six types of nature-based solutions, and evaluated their co-benefits and trade-offs by applying the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services framework of nature’s contributions to people.
Results: Among the 9,212 local climate adaptation measures implemented in South Korea, 795 cases (8.63%) were identified as nature-based solutions, with a strong concentration in forest creation and ecological restoration, particularly in the forestry/ecosystem and water management sectors, and demonstrated diverse co-benefits—particularly in the health domain—when assessed using the framework of nature’s contributions to people.
Conclusions: The study highlights that nature-based solutions not only serve as effective climate adaptation strategies, but also generate significant ecological and public health co-benefits, underscoring the need for more integrated, cross-sectoral nature-based solutions applications in future policy design.