Natural environment

​Action area N3: Integrate connected, nature-based solutions in development planning

Nature-based solutions are actions that work with and enhance the environment to help people adapt to climate change.

These may include protecting, restoring or enhancing natural habitats or incorporating natural elements into built environment projects, for example,  green infrastructure Natural and engineered ecological systems which integrate with the built environment to provide the widest possible range of ecological, community and infrastructure services.  and enhancing natural  ecosystems A community of plants, animals and other organisms that function together as a unit along with their environment. , to provide for coastal management.

Investing in nature-based solutions in growth and regeneration areas can address  inequity Unfair or unjust.  in the quality of our natural environment:

• Increase uptake of nature-based solutions within the council family projects and develop further supporting tools for decision making, where these are not currently available.
• Provide new and promote existing regulatory, planning and educational tools to support nature-based solutions and maintain habitat corridors on private land and developments.
• Incorporate protection, managed retreat and restoration of  indigenous coastal ecosystems A biological system in the coastal environment comprising a community of living organisms and its associated non-living environment, interacting as an ecological unit that occur naturally in New Zealand, including self-introduced species, but not human-introduced ones.  into planning for sea level change.
• Establish a monitoring framework to show the benefits of nature-based solutions projects.
• Empower and partner with community groups and the public to encourage community-led projects.
• Enhance, extend and connect Auckland’s blue-green networks to protect and enhance ecosystem function and species viability.

More information about this priority