Assessing nature-based solutions for transformative change

Global sustainability targets demand transformative changes. Nature-based solutions (NbS) are gaining traction in science and policy, but their potential for transformative change remains unexplored. We provide a framework to evaluate how NbS contribute to transformative change and apply it to 93 NbS from mountain social-ecological systems (SES). The framework serves to assess what elements may catalyze transformative change, how transformative change occurs, and what its outcomes are. Our results show that NbS are as much “people based” as “nature based.” Most NbS are based on four elements with transformation potential: nature's values, knowledge types, community engagement, and nature management practices. Our results confirm the potential of NbS for transformative change, observed through changes in non-sustainable trajectories of SES. We illustrate the components of our framework through a novel classification of NbS. The framework provides key components for assessing the effectiveness of NbS and allows tracking long-term transformative change processes. [Display omitted] •A framework to assess transformative change with NbS•Ecological and social elements underpin NbS with transformative change potential•NbS can foster transformative change of social-ecological systems•Values, knowledge, community engagement, and nature management underpin NbS The global environmental crisis demands transformative approaches toward sustainability. Nature-based solutions (NbS) resonate strongly in science and practice, but their capacity to deliver transformative change has not been assessed. Here, we provide a conceptual framework to assess NbS under a transformative change lens and operationalize it through a dataset of 93 NbS implemented in mountain regions globally. The majority of NbS we assessed combine ecological and social elements with potential to deliver transformative change. These include various human values about nature and knowledge types, community engagement processes, and management practices such as restoration, ecosystem monitoring, and nature protection. We also found evidence that NbS can contribute to transformative change toward sustainable trajectories. We call for further research on transformative change in practice that supports the monitoring and evaluation of NbS on the ground. Nature-based solutions (NbS) have gained considerable traction in science and policy, but their potential to deliver transformative change remains unexplored. We