Nature-based Solutions for sustainable flood management in East Africa

This article has provided a literature analysis on NbS studies undertaken in East Africa (EA), underlining NbS benefits in alleviating flood risk, boosting food security, promoting ecosystem regeneration, amenity, greywater management and biodiversity functions. NbS has the potential to augment water supply, promote urban agriculture and enable inclusive decision-making and flexibility to be integrated into the planned or ongoing upgrade plans in East African cities.

These are some of the recommendations made in the paper:

1. A need for pilot/demonstration projects in informal settlements and refugee camps, which are monitored pre-and post-implementation of NbS, to better understand its potential for alleviating flood risk in these challenging environments.
2. The review reaffirms the scarcity of peer-reviewed papers between 2012 and 2022 in East Africa. The 14 presented papers were geographically and thematically biassed, with a concentration on peri-urban and urban areas. The underrepresentation of rural areas might be attributed to insufficient motivation, support, finance or interest to do this in a region that allegedly requires it more than others.
3. Clear guidelines are vital for successfully meeting or responding to area-specific challenges . Similarly, recognising and appreciating local conditions is also critical in developing, monitoring and evaluating frameworks, currently lacking in the NbS context.