Using ecosystem services to measure the degree to which a solution is nature-based

This paper claims that, what is meant by Nature-based is not well defined and there has been little effort to rigorously understand how a solution is created. It proposes an integrated conceptual framework, extending the service-benefit relationship to include solutions. The paper presents a method to measure the degree to which a solution is Nature-based: calculate the relative contribution of ecosystem services, compared with technological services and labour. The method and framework are applied to projects dealing with problems related to water pollution, demonstrating their applicability. The framework can be a useful tool to guide environmental managers in identifying both the scale and context at which, and the problems to which, Nature-based Solutions are applicable.