A general procedure to identify indicators for evaluation and monitoring of nature-based solution projects

Abstract

In the last years, the idea of using natural elements or nature-based solutions (NbS) to mitigate the impacts of cities on climate, biodiversity and citizens' health became more popular in research and practice. Nevertheless, there are currently uncertainties in finding and selecting appropriate criteria and indicators for monitoring and evaluating the impact and performance of NbS and its co-creation processes. This paper proposes an easy-to-use and structured procedure for selecting appropriate criteria and indicators for monitoring and evaluating any kind of NbS project. The user is guided step by step in selecting meaningful metrics. The procedure is tested using a real case study from the Horizon 2020 research project CLEVER Cities as an example. The test shows that by following the indicated procedure, the criteria and indicator selection process is speeded up and reproducible.

Keywords: Co-creation; Decision-making; Evaluation; Indicator selection; Monitoring; Nature-based solutions.

Fig. 1

Potential assessment needs in the different phases of NbS co-creation processes (own figure)

Fig. 2

Overview of the entire criteria and indicator selection approach described in this section (own figure)

Fig. 3

Five-Step procedure for finding appropriate criteria and indicators (own figure)

Fig. 4

Route for criteria and indicator selection as part of step 3 of the proposed procedure (own figure)

Fig. 5

Façade that will be greened in the course of the project (CLEVER Cities 2021) and that was chosen as the subject of the exemplary application of the criteria and indicator finding procedure proposed in this article (own image 2021)