NatureInsight, a new possibility for mapping and modelling the benefits of nature-based solutions
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Arup and SCALGO have combined many years of experience in planning nature-based solutions with state-of-the-art data analysis to build a new opportunity mapping and hydrological modelling package, called NatureInsight.
Nature-based Solutions (NbS) have the potential to mitigate climate change, adapt our environments to extreme events and provide restored and new habitats for plant and animal species.
“Our planet faces the existential and very real threat of a warming climate and more frequent extreme events alongside catastrophic loss of biodiversity and species.”, says Alex Nicholson, NatureInsight Lead at Arup. “Also, human beings have limited the natural capacity of landscapes to retain water, sequester carbon and enable habitats to thrive and connect to one another. We know that nature-based solutions are an immensely important part of the overall goal to offer relief from these threats.”
Example of nature-based solutions. These large woody debris dams are implemented in Weardale, County Durham, as part of a large project by Environment Agency where Arup planned over 200 NbS. Photo by Alex Nicholson.
However, planning and designing NbS is a complex process. There is a need for tools that can enable early exploration of NbS to help identify opportunities, estimate benefits and costs, bring stakeholders on the same page, engage landowners in the process, and obtain funding.
“Our goal is to empower practitioners seeking to deliver nature-based solutions with the tools they need to evaluate the potential of various solutions and attract funding."
Alex Nicholson, NatureInsight Lead, Arup
Since 2022, Arup and SCALGO have been working together to create better tools for identifying opportunities for NbS. These tools and analyses are now released in a new mapping and modelling tool package called NatureInsight, which can be accessed through SCALGO Live.
“Our goal is to empower practitioners seeking to deliver nature-based solutions with the tools they need to evaluate the potential of various solutions and attract funding“, explains Alex. “We want NatureInsight to be a catalyst in leading to a greater uptake in nature-based solutions delivery, to help bring resilience to climate extremes, meet net zero targets and restore habitats.”
Opportunities to increase resilience, manage carbon and create habitat
NatureInsight brings the evaluation of NbS to your browser in an easily accessible way. The interactive and editable opportunity map, which identifies suitable locations for ten different types of NbS, is available throughout Great Britain.
“The user can quickly start evaluating carbon sequestration and habitat distinctiveness and evaluate the changes and benefits that are realised when implementing NbS.”
Alex Nicholson, NatureInsight Lead, Arup
Figure 1. The Opportunity map identifies suitable locations for ten different types of NbS.
“The user can quickly start evaluating carbon sequestration and habitat distinctiveness and evaluate the changes and benefits that are realised when implementing NbS”, continues Alex. “It is also possible to estimate high-level costs for the NbS so that business cases can be generated for discussion with stakeholders and landowners.”
NatureInsight is built on top of a new hydrological model that SCALGO has developed. This model allows the user to click a point and instantly get a hydrograph for any rain event and infiltration model. In collaboration with Arup, the hydrological model has been extended to model the effect of storing water in upstream catchments. With NatureInsight, it only takes a few clicks to set up the hydrological model with storage that directly represents the mapped NbS opportunities and the effects on peak flows can be instantly shown.
Figure 2. The storage model in NatureInsight shows how the implementation of NbS affects peak flows and reduces downstream flood risks.
Join webinar
Want to learn more about how you can use NatureInsight for mapping and modelling nature-based solutions? Then join our webinar on the 26th of June.
Book a demonstration
A first version of NatureInsight will be available as an add-on to SCALGO Live in May 2024. Arup and SCALGO are continuing to collaborate on new features within NatureInsight and are exploring expansion of the add-on to other territories around the world.
Reach out to Peder Bøcher, Market Manager in the UK, at peder@scalgo.com if you want to learn more about NatureInsight.
