Embracing Nature to Strengthen Climate Resilience

In many vulnerable regions, harnessing the power of nature is a promising and cost-effective strategy to strengthen climate resilience while fostering shared social and economic prosperity. The World Bank and Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) are scaling up the integration of nature-based solutions to climate challenges to help countries build resilience. Check out our projects below, or see our knowledge hub for helpful resources.

Project Map Knowledge Hub Opportunity Scan

Latest news and insights

Knowledge Product – 2025-04-01

A Catalogue of Nature‑Based Solutions for Coastal Resilience

Feature Story – 2026-03-11

Unlocking Nature for Disaster Resilience: How Policies Can Pave the Way and Scale Up NBS

Feature Story – 2025-09-17

When the Beach Disappears: How Tourism Can Work with Nature to Fight Erosion

Feature Story – 2025-08-19

How ports work with nature to build climate resilience

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What are Nature-based Solutions?

The Global Program on Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Resilience (GPNBS), a thematic area of the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), is dedicated to expanding investments in nature-based solutions (NBS) across World Bank projects and sectors. GPNBS provides technical support, knowledge resources, and strategic partnerships to help integrate NBS into resilience-building efforts worldwide.

Examples of World Bank projects include restoring Beira’s Chiveve River in Mozambique to reduce flooding and the development of a 17-hectare urban park, strengthening coastal protection in Jamaica through mangrove restoration, and reducing landslide risks in Sri Lanka’s Mahaweli watershed. Project Map.

To learn more about NBS and World Bank efforts to support NBS for resilience, check out the infographic and video below.

Creating benefits to Biodiversity

From our Knowledge Hub

Featured

A Catalogue of Nature‑Based Solutions for Coastal Resilience

Coastal zones are increasingly at risk from the combined effects of climate change, sea-level rise, intensifying storms, ecosystem degradation, and rapid coastal development. While traditional gray infrastructure has long been used for coastal protection, it is often costly, environmentally damaging, and increasingly insufficient under growing hazard conditions. Nature-based solutions (NBS) such as mangroves, dunes, reefs, and marshes offer a complementary and cost-effective approach to coastal resilience, reducing risks while benefitting biodiversity, livelihoods, and carbon storage.

Published
April 14, 2026
Featured

Unlocking Nature for Disaster Resilience: A Policy Guide to Enable Nature-Based Solutions

Focused on nature-based solutions (NBS) for climate resilience and disaster risk reduction, this guide provides countries with approaches to address complex climate-related challenges while generating important socioeconomic benefits. Traditional conservation and restoration practices are also considered NBS when they aim for resilience or disaster risk reduction alongside human well-being. This guide focuses on NBS for climate resilience and disaster risk reduction (DRR).

Published
March 23, 2026
Featured

Nature-Based Solutions for Ports: An Overview of NBS Implementation in Practice - Opportunities and Challenges

This report provides an overview of the potential role that nature-based solutions (NBS) can play in ports. It aims to illustrate how NBS can be effectively integrated into port planning, design, and operations to address various port challenges, while offering opportunities to leverage climate resilience benefits and other cobenefits.

Published
September 10, 2025
Featured

Nature-based Solutions for Beach Stabilization : Opportunities for the Tourism Sector

This report explores nature-based solutions (NBS) for beach stabilization within the Blue Economy framework, emphasizing sustainable ocean resource use for economic growth and ecosystem health. Coastal tourism, vital to developing regions and SIDS, benefits from these strategies. Targeting governments and tourism stakeholders, the report offers practical approaches to combat beach erosion, stressing that direct interventions should follow evaluation of non-intervention options.

Published
September 10, 2025

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