Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 2339228 |
| Journal | Ecosystems and People |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 20 May 2024 |
| Publication status | Published - 2024 |
Abstract
Nature-based solutions (NBS) are actions that help communities address social-ecological challenges such as flooding and polluted groundwater. Nevertheless, research shows that in practice, NBS confront several barriers in planning and implementation, many of which are related to the different attitudes of political and administrative actors. There is knowledge missing on their viewpoints on NBS. We used Q-methodology to explore the attitudes towards the implementation of a constructed wetland as NBS, interviewing decision-makers from the Tárcoles River Basin Commission in Costa Rica, the administrative body in charge of the integrated management of the river. We determined three recognizable viewpoints: ‘the nature lover’, ‘the cost concerned’, and ‘the participation seeker’. Although all members of the commission shared a common vision, it was clear that their priorities differed. Regarding the ways of implementing NBS, interviewees agreed that the country urges a paradigm shift in policy design towards ecosystem-based approaches and emphasized the need for more cooperation among bodies of administration in river basin decision-making. We reflect on the lessons learned to improve planning and implementation of NBS, such as the importance of increasing knowledge and awareness of NBS, the support from all governance levels as well as the cooperation of researchers and policy-makers, and the consideration of NBS financing by private companies.
Keywords
- constructed wetlands, Costa Rica, flood protection, greywater treatment, Q-methodology, river restoration, Torsten Krause
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
- Environmental Science(all)
- Ecology
- Environmental Science(all)
- Nature and Landscape Conservation
- Environmental Science(all)
- Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
Sustainable Development Goals
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In: Ecosystems and People, Vol. 20, No. 1, 2339228, 2024.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Attitudes of political-administrative decision makers towards the implementation of nature-based solutions in water management–a case study on a hypothetical constructed wetland in the Tárcoles River basin
AU - Pätzke, Franka
AU - Schulze, Christoph
AU - Hack, Jochen
AU - Castro-Arce, Karina
AU - Neumann, Veronica Alejandra
AU - Schröter, Barbara
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Nature-based solutions (NBS) are actions that help communities address social-ecological challenges such as flooding and polluted groundwater. Nevertheless, research shows that in practice, NBS confront several barriers in planning and implementation, many of which are related to the different attitudes of political and administrative actors. There is knowledge missing on their viewpoints on NBS. We used Q-methodology to explore the attitudes towards the implementation of a constructed wetland as NBS, interviewing decision-makers from the Tárcoles River Basin Commission in Costa Rica, the administrative body in charge of the integrated management of the river. We determined three recognizable viewpoints: ‘the nature lover’, ‘the cost concerned’, and ‘the participation seeker’. Although all members of the commission shared a common vision, it was clear that their priorities differed. Regarding the ways of implementing NBS, interviewees agreed that the country urges a paradigm shift in policy design towards ecosystem-based approaches and emphasized the need for more cooperation among bodies of administration in river basin decision-making. We reflect on the lessons learned to improve planning and implementation of NBS, such as the importance of increasing knowledge and awareness of NBS, the support from all governance levels as well as the cooperation of researchers and policy-makers, and the consideration of NBS financing by private companies.
AB - Nature-based solutions (NBS) are actions that help communities address social-ecological challenges such as flooding and polluted groundwater. Nevertheless, research shows that in practice, NBS confront several barriers in planning and implementation, many of which are related to the different attitudes of political and administrative actors. There is knowledge missing on their viewpoints on NBS. We used Q-methodology to explore the attitudes towards the implementation of a constructed wetland as NBS, interviewing decision-makers from the Tárcoles River Basin Commission in Costa Rica, the administrative body in charge of the integrated management of the river. We determined three recognizable viewpoints: ‘the nature lover’, ‘the cost concerned’, and ‘the participation seeker’. Although all members of the commission shared a common vision, it was clear that their priorities differed. Regarding the ways of implementing NBS, interviewees agreed that the country urges a paradigm shift in policy design towards ecosystem-based approaches and emphasized the need for more cooperation among bodies of administration in river basin decision-making. We reflect on the lessons learned to improve planning and implementation of NBS, such as the importance of increasing knowledge and awareness of NBS, the support from all governance levels as well as the cooperation of researchers and policy-makers, and the consideration of NBS financing by private companies.
KW - constructed wetlands
KW - Costa Rica
KW - flood protection
KW - greywater treatment
KW - Q-methodology
KW - river restoration
KW - Torsten Krause
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85193682146&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/26395916.2024.2339228
DO - 10.1080/26395916.2024.2339228
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85193682146
VL - 20
JO - Ecosystems and People
JF - Ecosystems and People
SN - 2639-5908
IS - 1
M1 - 2339228
ER -