In the 21st century tsunamis have claimed the lives of over 250,000 individuals, and have caused extensive damage to vulnerable coastal ecosystems. This vulnerability continues to increase in many areas as human activity further degrades the coastal forests that once provided a degree of protection against storms and tsunamis, collectively known as high energy marine inundation events. This work presents a case study of the design and implementation of a forested bioshield established to protect a vulnerable wetland on Maui's south east coast. Although subject to coastal inundation, this ecosystem provides high quality habitat for numerous endangered species. Anthropogenic modifications around the wetlands, particularly the loss of the protective forest, have made this ecosystem vulnerable to future inundation events. Establishing an effective bioshield requires in-depth knowledge of both the frequency and intensity of inundation events, as well as effective tree species selection and their proper configuration within the bioshield. Here, we present palynological and archaeobotanical data from the studied wetlands, and combine this with local paleotsunami data, previously published data on forested bioshields, and traditional ecological knowledge to design, optimize and install an 8,000 m 2 forested bioshield, and review the wider benefits and limitations of this bioshield approach.

Urban Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are increasingly promoted globally as a multifunctional and cost-effective way to address social and environmental challenges in cities. Based on these premises, there is a growing municipal interest in promoting NbS in cities of the so-called 'Global South'. However, current research is still clearly biased towards the 'Global North', with particularly few studies focusing on cities in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). As a result of these research gaps, there is a high risk that maladapted NbS – modelled on examples from other regions that do not meet local requirements and needs – will be adopted. Against this background, this article examines barriers to the adoption of urban Nature-based Solutions and the opportunities for successful implementation of NbS in cities in Malawi. Drawing on qualitative data (workshops, narrative expert interviews, group discussions) collected during five research stays in Lilongwe (2022-2024), the article outlines and analyses in detail the strategies employed to overcome these barriers by those actors in charge for implementing the Lilongwe Ecological Corridor Initiative (LECI), a large-scale NbS in the country's capital city. By empirically exploring the particularities of the implementation of the LECI, the article characterises features of NbS in SSA rarely explored in other contexts, such as the reframing of existing greenspaces, the pragmatic adaptation of NbS-plans and the formulation of by-laws as part of their planning. These insights can serve as a basis for further conceptual developments and critical engagement and to promote a deeper understanding of the potentials and pitfalls of implementation strategies seeking to manoeuvre persistent barriers.

The impacts of climate change pose a critical research challenge for sustainability. Despite growing awareness of green roofs as nature-based solutions, a significant gap exists in understanding their role in urban resilience. The research reviews thematic perspectives of green roofs in improving urban resilience. The paper used the PRISMA framework to systematically review the literature on green roofs and climate change, utilizing the keywords "green roof*” and climate change" in the Web of Science database. Bibliometric and thematic analysis is used to observe research trends from 123 publications that meet inclusion criteria, which include selected keywords, language, and publication type. Recurrent themes included urban heat islands, stormwater runoff, thermal comfort, biodiversity conservation, carbon footprint reduction, urban agriculture, and human well-being. The study proposes the Green Roof Resilience Framework (GRF), which combines these ideas into a systematic method for enhancing urban resilience. The research advocates for mainstreaming green roofs into adaptation planning, envisioning the creation of sustainable and resilient societies.