Nature-based solutions (NbS) are actions for the protection, sustainable management and restoration of natural or artificial ecosystems, which can effectively address contemporary social challenges and at the same time offer significant benefits to human well-being and to biodiversity (IUCN, 2020). Nature-based Solutions harness nature and the power of healthy ecosystems to protect people, optimize infrastructure and safeguard a sustainable, biodiverse future. They include projects such as Rain Gardens, which aim to retain rainwater where they are planted, the use of Permeable Materials to reduce sealed surfaces that have unwanted impacts on cities, Tree Planting, Biodiversity Enhancement and Green Roofs. In other words, they are solutions to the climate crisis and the challenges of sustainability and energy insufficiency, which use nature and ecosystems themselves. Nature-Based Solutions protect biodiversity and ecosystems, help sustain livelihoods and support adaptation and increase our resilience to climate change. Both the private and public sectors have promoted so-called 'triple impact' measures for NbS: enhancing climate resilience, protecting the environment and ensuring human well-being. The United Nations Environment Program UNEP has called for, from $133 billion in 2021, the investment in NbS to be tripled by 2030.

Improving the urban landscape, increased carbon sequestration, improving the local climate by reducing urban heat island phenomena, increasing the well-being and quality of life of residents, reduced energy demand are some of the benefits that green cities can have who wish to put Nature-Based Solutions into practice. In Europe different cities have taken different approaches to developing their own NbS strategy. Active environmental citizenship is essential to the success of NbS programs. For example, the city of Manchester chose a bottom-up approach with significant citizen involvement, while in contrast, Valencia and Brest have developed NbS strategy initiatives using a top-down approach. An example is the innovative Rain and Drainage Network for Stormwater Management in the city of Brest (France). Also, the innovative NbS program of implementing more green areas, increasing soil permeability and hydraulic constant, was the strategy of Modena (Italy) to reduce floods and related damages and limit heat waves and the urban heat island . Specifically, the strategy included green roofs, vertical green systems, urban and peri-urban parks and forests, combined with gray infrastructure, such as cold or white roofs and floors, and the installation of refreshing fountains. In the city of Zadar (Croatia) an innovative green cadastre was created where every tree or lawn in the city was recorded (e.g. tree and trunk height, health status, tree top diameter, visible damage and image) in order to proceed with the restoration of existing ones and the creation of new ones urban and peri-urban green areas. NbS have also been credited for their contribution to Public Health and the prevention and avoidance of infectious diseases.

Education plays a very important role in the promotion and success of NbS. Green Schools, school green transition, climate neutral schools, colleges and universities, the adoption of nature-based solutions in schools and educational institutions are a critical strategy for a climate neutral world, to increase the quality of life and the protection of biodiversity. The involvement of schools in the development and implementation of ecosystem restoration programs will be a desirable future for education and the environment. It is necessary for the educational system to cultivate the necessary green skills - abilities, to strengthen the conceptual understanding, attitudes and experiences regarding nature, biodiversity and ecosystems, to achieve the training of specialists in the subjects of NbS and the environment in general.

Also, Nature-Based Solutions are an unusual business opportunity. A number of companies around the world have announced plans to include funding for nature-based solutions as part of their business plans to reduce their environmental impact, particularly in regard to climate change. Every agency and every company has a role to play in supporting the pursuit of global climate goals. For many companies, even if they reduce their carbon emissions, there will be residual emissions that can and should be offset by investing in nature-based solutions.

While globally Nature-Based Solutions are increasingly promoted and implemented, there is still little understanding of how such projects can achieve biodiversity co-benefits. Also, the increased demand and use of NbS has led to cases of misuse of the NbS concept, where even good intentions can lead to harm to nature and people. In worst-case scenarios, misuse risks damaging biodiversity, eroding the nature we rely on for services such as clean water and food. Examples of incorrect applications of NbS are the use of tree plantings with non-native species and the avoidance of consideration of the need for water use, actions that can lead to aquifer projects that use too much water, creating additional pressure on local communities.

Additionally, failure to consider social and economic factors in Nature-Based Solutions can still result in unsustainable and off-schedule projects. Finally, on a global scale, local peoples emphasized the importance of both integrating traditional knowledge into NbS practices. The involvement of local populations is also critical to the successful implementation of Nature-based Solutions. In addition, the importance of "blue carbon" in NbS is highlighted. While NbS can be applied to various terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, governments around the world have placed particular emphasis on oceans and 'blue carbon'. "Blue carbon", such as mangrove forests, grasslands and swamps, are particularly important for climate mitigation, with their carbon sequestration capacities 4-5 times higher than terrestrial forests. Therefore, it is very important to also choose Nature-Based Solutions that promote the conservation, protection, restoration and aquatic ecosystems such as coastal marshes and lakes that sequester 4-5 times more carbon.

Therefore, NbS must be properly and rigorously designed to deliver measurable benefits to nature and society. Such efforts require the creation of monitoring systems to achieve multiple benefits and to systematically report progress toward quantitative goals. Such an approach will help to reduce bad and harmful applications, and clear timelines in which NbS can deliver benefits to local society, biodiversity and the climate.

In Cyprus, we need to embrace NbS to a greater extent than we have done so far by providing opportunities, through plans and calls for funding of programs and projects that promote NbS. Also, a comprehensive strategy and policy for NbS at the state level and sub-strategies at the level of local authorities and societies, the implementation of NbS promotion policies in various sectors such as education, research, environment and rural development, business, it would be an essential move for our country towards sustainability, biodiversity protection, climate neutrality and quality of life.