Tool for the Evaluation of Blue-Green Infrastructure at the municipal scale in the Basque Country
In recent years, a new model of land and natural resource management has emerged, called Blue-Green Infrastructure. The Blue-Green Infrastructure is a strategically planned network of high quality natural and semi-natural areas (terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems), designed and managed to provide the greatest amount of Ecosystem Services and protect biodiversity, both in rural and urban areas. This model is associated with two theoretical and practical tools: Nature-Based Solutions and ecological restoration. Nature-Based Solutions are more cost-effective, efficient, durable, dynamic and innovative solutions than the gray solutions used so far, and like ecological restoration, they can help municipalities adapt to or mitigate the effects of climate change and increase their biodiversity, both at urban and rural scales. The Blue-Green Infrastructure is developed at different scales (urban/peri-urban, municipal, regional, national and European); however, the municipalities are the backbone of its development and, without their participation and involvement, it would not be possible to truly develop it.
Therefore, within the project “Evaluation of Ecosystem Services of the Basque Country” funded by the Basque Government, a tool has been developed with the aim that municipalities can evaluate the potential Blue-Green Infrastructure. They have also assess what actions are the most appropriate to develop in their municipalities to increase and improve the Blue-Green Infrastructure according to the needs they have in their territories.
The tool has been developed in Excel format so that it can be easily used by all potential users and consists of 6 steps:
- Step 1. Presentation of the tool
- Step 2. Diagnosis of the Green-Blue Infrastructure defined in the territory at other scales (Basque Country, Historical Territory and Functional Area). The user is provided with information on the elements that form part of the Blue-Green Infrastructure defined at other scales within the selected municipality, to serve as a basis for defining their own Blue-Green Infrastructure.
- Step 3. Diagnosis of the potential Blue-Green Infrastructure in the municipality. The user is provided with information on the potential elements that the selected municipality has and can be part of both urban/peri-urban and non-urban Blue-Green Infrastructure.
- Step 4. Evaluation of the potential Blue-Green Infrastructure in the municipality. The user is told whether the potential Blue-Green Infrastructure (non-urban, urban/peri-urban and urban trees) found in the selected municipality meets the criteria of quantity, quality, accessibility, connectivity and multi-functionality.
Step 4a. Evaluation of the potential Blue-Green Infrastructure in the municipality according to the data entered by the user. In this step, users who have information within their municipality regarding green areas or urban trees can enter the data to be analyzed by the tool and obtain an evaluation of the same.Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
- Step 5. Assessment of the pressures on urban Ecosystem Services in the municipality. Users are provided with information on the level (High, Medium or Low) of pressures on urban Ecosystem Services within the selected municipality. The pressures analyzed are urbanization, climate change, water demand, air pollution, flood risk, both in river environments and due to sea level rise, noise pollution and the risk to health from heat waves.
- Step 6. Identification of the actions/Nature-Based Solutions to be developed to increase or improve the Blue-Green Infrastructure in the municipality. The user is offered a proposal of actions/Nature-Based Solutions to be developed based on the evaluation of the Ecosystem Services and pressures obtained in the selected municipality. In addition, specific information can be entered on the actions to be developed in the municipality in order to evaluate and prioritize them, based on the multifunctionality of each one. On the other hand, information is offered in relation to the actions/Nature-Based Solutions that can be developed in each area (forest, meadow, wetland, urban, etc.), as well as the Ecosystem Services they offer, information to take into account when carrying out these actions, examples of some of them carried out mainly in the Basque Country and possible sources of information that may be useful to users to carry them out.
This tool has an associated guide that explains the tool step by step, as well as the methodology and information used to develop it.
To use the tool or view the guide click on the following links:
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