CONSERVING OF THE RESOURCES
Nature-based solutions for soil and water quality protection – experiences from the nordic-baltic region
World ecosystems are confronted with multiple challenges related to the global change drivers, namely, population growth, climate change, land use change, urbanization, invasive species, and interactions between these. Intensified land management practices implemented with the primary aim to increase the land productivity, may have severe adverse effects on soil and water quality. In the Nordic-Baltic region, both agriculture and forestry have high economic importance and long traditions, and currently intensive management is applied in both these sectors. Even though regulatory framework for soil and water protection exists, the management practices have to be extended beyond simple compliance with the regulations in order to secure holistic approach to the land management. Therefore, several collaboration projects with Nordic-Baltic partnership in forestry and agriculture sectors have been implemented during recent years to test nature-based solutions for soil and water protection.