Nature-Based Solutions (NBS)

The NBSs presented in this list have been specifically selected to support the aims and objectives of the CREATE project, namely reducing nutrient loads in inland and marine waters while providing a broader range of ecosystem services. The selection covers NBSs across five environmental realms: agricultural land, forest land, freshwater and riverine ecosystems, wetlands, and marine and coastal ecosystems. It is the result of an extensive compilation of NBSs from several prominent databases, followed by a careful selection and refinement process, including the elimination of duplicates, merging of similar entries, and harmonization of definitions. The final set represents NBSs suited to the environmental and socio-ecological conditions of the CREATE partner countries: Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland.

Agriculture land

Restoration of polder areas	Restoration of polders involves reestablishing more natural conditions in polder landscapes, which are low lying areas enclosed by dikes and managed for water control. It is implemented through measures such as restoring or modifying drainage systems, reconnecting watercourses, and reintroducing wetland features to allow more natural water dynamics. These changes increase water storage capacity, help reduce flood risk, and support the recovery of habitats and biodiversity within the polder area.
Restoration or conversion to semi-natural grasslands	Restoration or conversion to semi natural grasslands involves restoring degraded land or converting intensively used agricultural land into grassland ecosystems with diverse native vegetation. It is implemented through measures such as reducing intensive cultivation, establishing permanent grass cover, and promoting appropriate grazing or mowing regimes. These actions enhance water infiltration, reduce soil erosion and nutrient runoff, and support biodiversity while maintaining the ecological functions of grassland landscapes.
Strip cropping along contours	Strip cropping is a farming method used when a slope is too steep or too long, or otherwise, when one does not have an alternative method of preventing soil erosion. It alternates strips of closely sown crops which cover fully the soil when growing such as hay, wheat, or other small grains with strips of row crops, such as corn, soybeans, or sugar beets. This technique helps to stop soil erosion by creating natural barriers that slow down surface runoff, thereby allowing water sufficient time to infiltrate, helping to preserve the strength of the soil.
No till/Low till agriculture	No till or low till agriculture is a farming practice that reduces or eliminates mechanical soil disturbance during crop production. Crops are planted directly into the soil with minimal or no ploughing, while crop residues or cover crops are maintained on the soil surface. This approach helps preserve soil structure, increase water infiltration, and reduce soil erosion and nutrient runoff. By maintaining soil cover and minimizing disturbance, it also supports soil biodiversity and improves the long term resilience and fertility of agricultural soils.
Natural water harvesting/keyline design	Natural water harvesting or keyline design involves organizing agricultural landscapes to capture, store, and distribute rainwater more effectively across soils and fields. It is implemented by designing cultivation patterns and water management features in alignment with natural landscape contours, allowing water to be slowed, spread, and infiltrated throughout the land. These practices improve soil moisture retention, reduce surface runoff and erosion, and enhance the resilience of agricultural systems to drought while supporting healthier soils and ecosystems.
Crop Rotation (classical rotation system, cereals, legumes, root crops)	Crop rotation is an agricultural practice in which different types of crops are grown sequentially on the same field according to a planned multi year cycle, typically alternating cereals, legumes, and root crops. It is implemented by varying crop types across seasons or years to balance nutrient use, improve soil structure, and break pest and disease cycles. This practice enhances soil fertility, reduces the need for chemical inputs, improves water retention and infiltration, and contributes to more resilient and sustainable agricultural systems.
Intercropping	Intercropping is an agricultural practice in which two or more crop species are grown simultaneously on the same field during the same growing season. Crops are arranged in mixtures or distinct rows to optimize the use of light, water, and soil nutrients. This approach enhances resource efficiency, improves soil fertility through complementary plant interactions, and helps reduce pest and disease pressures. Intercropping can also increase soil cover, reduce erosion and nutrient losses, and support more resilient and diversified agricultural systems.
Vegetated Filter Strips, Buffer Strips and Hedges	Vegetated filter strips, buffer strips and hedges are linear vegetation features established along field edges, watercourses, or across agricultural landscapes to intercept surface runoff and reduce the movement of sediments, nutrients, and pollutants from farmland. They are implemented by planting or maintaining strips of grasses, shrubs, or trees between agricultural fields and adjacent ecosystems or waterways. These vegetated areas slow water flow, promote infiltration, and trap sediments and contaminants before they reach water bodies. In addition to improving water quality and reducing soil erosion, they support biodiversity, provide habitat connectivity, and contribute to the ecological functioning of agricultural landscapes.
Grassland conservation and sustainable management	Grassland conservation and sustainable management involves protecting existing grassland ecosystems and managing them in ways that maintain their ecological functions and productivity over time. It is implemented through practices such as controlled grazing, appropriate mowing regimes, prevention of overgrazing, and the preservation of native vegetation. These actions help maintain soil structure and fertility, enhance water infiltration, reduce soil erosion and nutrient runoff, and support biodiversity while sustaining the ecological and productive functions of grassland landscapes.
Retention ponds	Retention ponds are constructed basins designed to permanently hold water and store runoff from surrounding land areas. They are implemented by creating a pond with a permanent pool that collects water from drainage systems, fields, forest areas, or developed surfaces. As water remains in the pond, sediments settle and pollutants can be retained before water is gradually released, evaporates, or infiltrates into the surrounding environment.

Forest

Afforestation/Reforestation	Afforestation or reforestation involves establishing or restoring forest cover on land where trees are absent or have been removed. It is implemented through the planting of trees or by allowing natural forest regeneration on degraded, abandoned, or previously deforested land, preferably using native or locally adapted species. When applied in appropriate ecological contexts, these actions can increase vegetation cover, enhance water infiltration and soil stability, reduce surface runoff and erosion, and support biodiversity while strengthening the ecological functions of forest ecosystems and landscapes.
Peak flow control structures in managed forests	Peak flow control structures in managed forests are small scale interventions designed to slow and regulate the movement of water through forest landscapes during rainfall or snowmelt events. They are implemented through features such as small dams, check structures, retention basins, or modified drainage systems placed along forest roads, ditches, or streams. These structures temporarily retain and gradually release runoff, helping to reduce peak flows in downstream watercourses. By slowing water movement, they can reduce erosion, limit sediment transport, improve water infiltration, and support more stable hydrological conditions in forest catchments.
Agroforestry	Agroforestry is a land management approach in which trees or shrubs are deliberately integrated with crops and or livestock within the same agricultural system. It is implemented through practices such as planting trees within crop fields, combining grazing with tree cover, or integrating trees, crops, and livestock in multifunctional production systems. These arrangements enhance soil fertility, improve water infiltration, reduce soil erosion and nutrient losses, and provide habitat for biodiversity while maintaining productive and resilient agricultural landscapes.
Close-to-nature forestry	Close to nature forestry is an umbrella term for forest management approaches that aim to maintain and enhance the structures, species diversity, and ecological processes characteristic of natural forest ecosystems. It is implemented through practices such as promoting mixed tree species, maintaining continuous forest cover, encouraging natural regeneration, and retaining habitat trees and deadwood. These practices increase structural diversity and support natural forest dynamics, helping to maintain biodiversity and improve the long term resilience and ecological functioning of managed forest landscapes.
Selective logging	Selective logging is a forest management practice in which only specific trees are harvested from a forest while the remaining trees and overall forest structure are maintained. Trees are typically selected based on criteria such as species, size, maturity, or health. This approach allows timber extraction while preserving forest cover, supporting natural regeneration, and maintaining many ecological functions of the forest ecosystem. Compared to clear cutting, selective logging can reduce disturbance to soils, habitats, and hydrological processes within forest landscapes.
Continuous cover forestry	Continuous cover forestry is a forest management approach that maintains permanent forest cover by avoiding clear cutting and promoting natural regeneration under an existing canopy. Trees are harvested selectively or in small groups while maintaining a mixed and uneven aged forest structure. This approach supports the development of diverse tree species, age classes, and habitats, helping to sustain forest ecosystem functions while allowing ongoing timber production.
Forest conservation	Forest conservation refers to the protection and long term preservation of forest ecosystems to maintain their ecological integrity, biodiversity, and natural functions. It is implemented through measures such as protecting existing forest areas from deforestation or degradation, limiting intensive management or resource extraction, and maintaining natural forest structures and processes. These actions help sustain habitats, regulate water and soil processes, and preserve the ecological functions of forest landscapes.
Retention ponds	Retention ponds are constructed basins designed to permanently hold water and store runoff from surrounding land areas. They are implemented by creating a pond with a permanent pool that collects water from drainage systems, fields, forest areas, or developed surfaces. As water remains in the pond, sediments settle and pollutants can be retained before water is gradually released, evaporates, or infiltrates into the surrounding environment.
Forest riparian buffers	A forest riparian buffer is a strip of forested vegetation established or maintained along rivers, streams, or other water bodies to protect and enhance aquatic and riparian ecosystems. It is implemented by conserving or planting trees and other native vegetation along the banks and adjacent floodplain areas. These forested buffer zones help filter sediments and pollutants from surface runoff, stabilize riverbanks, regulate water temperature through shading, and provide habitat and ecological connectivity along river corridors.

Marine & coastal

Restoration and creation of mussel beds	The recovery or re-establishment of degraded or lost natural mussel beds, or the artificial creation of new ones, to enhance and support functions such as habitat provision and water filtration and nutrient cycling.
Mussel farming	The cultivation and harvest of mussels that remove nutrients from the water column by filtering phytoplankton and other suspended particulate matter, with nutrients subsequently removed from the marine environment through biomass harvest.
Living shorelines	The implementation of nature-based shoreline stabilization measures, integrating marsh vegetation, shellfish reefs, or other biogenic structures, to attenuate erosion while enhancing habitat provision, nutrient retention, and water-quality regulation
Seaweed farming	The cultivation of macroalgae to remove dissolved nutrients from the water column through their incorporation into algal biomass, followed by biomass harvest to remove nutrients from the marine environment
Floating wetlands	The deployment of buoyant vegetated systems in which plants and their associated microbial communities facilitate nutrient uptake, transformation, and retention, thereby contributing to water-quality improvement in sheltered coastal and transitional environments

Rivers & Riparian zones

Floodplain restoration and management	Floodplain restoration and management involves restoring the natural connection between rivers and their floodplains in order to recover their water retention capacity and ecological functions. It is implemented through measures such as removing or modifying river embankments, restoring natural channel dynamics, creating wetlands or ponds within floodplain areas, and reestablishing native vegetation and riparian habitats. These actions allow floodplains to store and gradually release water during high flow events while supporting biodiversity and the ecological functioning of riverine landscapes.
Riverbed material renaturalization	Riverbed material renaturalization involves restoring the natural composition and distribution of sediments in river channels that have been altered by human activities such as channelization, dredging, or sediment trapping by dams. It is implemented through measures such as adding or redistributing natural sediments like gravel, sand, or cobbles, or removing artificial or compacted substrates to reestablish natural sediment dynamics. These actions help recover natural channel processes and improve habitat conditions for aquatic organisms.
Re-meandering	Re meandering is a river restoration measure that aims to restore the natural sinuous course of a river that has previously been straightened or channelized. It is implemented by reshaping the river channel to recreate natural bends and curves, often accompanied by reconnecting the river to its floodplain and restoring natural channel dimensions. These actions help recover natural flow patterns, reduce flow velocity, and restore habitats and ecological processes within the river corridor.
Restoration with boulders, gravel, logs and/or branches	Restoration with boulders, gravel, logs and or branches is a river restoration measure that involves placing natural materials in the river channel to restore structural diversity and natural hydraulic conditions. It is implemented by introducing elements such as gravel, cobbles, large boulders, or woody material including logs and branches into the channel or along the riverbed. These materials create variations in flow, stabilize sediments, and form habitats for aquatic organisms, thereby helping to restore natural river processes and ecological functions.
Restoration by reconnecting  river with other water bodies	Restoration by reconnecting a river with other water bodies involves restoring the natural hydrological connections between rivers and adjacent aquatic features such as floodplain lakes, wetlands, side channels, or oxbow lakes that have been disconnected by human activities. It is implemented through measures such as removing barriers, reopening former channels, or modifying embankments to allow water exchange between the river and surrounding water bodies. These actions help restore natural flow dynamics, improve habitat connectivity, and support the ecological functioning of river and floodplain ecosystems.
Natural bank stabilisation (with vegetation)	Natural bank stabilisation with vegetation is a river management approach that uses plants to stabilize riverbanks and reduce erosion. It is implemented by establishing or maintaining grasses, shrubs, and trees along riverbanks so that their root systems reinforce the soil and protect the bank from erosion. Vegetation also slows water flow near the bank and helps maintain natural riverbank habitats and ecological processes.

Wetlands

Wetland Restoration	Wetland restoration involves recovering the natural hydrological conditions, vegetation, and ecological functions of degraded or drained wetland ecosystems. It is implemented through measures such as restoring natural water regimes, removing drainage infrastructure, reestablishing native wetland vegetation, and reconnecting wetlands with rivers or floodplains. These actions help restore natural water storage and purification processes while supporting biodiversity and the ecological functioning of wetland landscapes.
Constructed & semi-artificial Wetlands	Constructed or semi artificial wetlands are engineered systems designed to mimic the functions of natural wetlands. They are created by shaping land and managing water flows to establish wetland conditions with aquatic vegetation and soils. These systems are used for purposes such as wastewater treatment, stormwater management, water retention, or habitat creation while providing some of the ecological functions associated with natural wetlands.
Hydrological restoration of ponds in coastal salines and marshes	Hydrological restoration of ponds in coastal salines and marshes involves restoring natural or semi natural water regimes in coastal wetland ponds that have been altered by drainage, infrastructure, or changes in water management. It is implemented through measures such as restoring water exchange with surrounding wetlands or coastal waters, modifying or removing drainage structures, and reestablishing natural flooding and water level dynamics. The objective is to recover the hydrological conditions that sustain wetland habitats and ecological processes in saline marsh and coastal pond systems.
Floating wetland islands	Floating wetland islands are artificial floating platforms planted with aquatic vegetation that float on the surface of water bodies. The plant roots extend into the water column, where they interact with the surrounding water and provide surfaces for microbial communities. These systems are used to improve water quality and provide habitat by facilitating processes such as nutrient uptake, sediment trapping, and biological filtration.
Restoration by adding freshwater	Restoration by adding freshwater is a wetland or aquatic ecosystem restoration measure that aims to reestablish appropriate water conditions in areas affected by reduced freshwater inflows or increased salinity. It is implemented by introducing freshwater through channels, controlled releases, or water management structures to restore natural hydrological regimes. This approach is used to recover ecological conditions and support habitats in wetlands, lagoons, marshes, or other water bodies where freshwater availability has been altered.