Another major success for MedINA comes with the publication of IUCN’s new report on Sustainable Agriculture and Nature-based Solutions. The Terra Lemnia project’s approach to strengthen traditional farming practices that conserve biodiversity and support local livelihoods has been identified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as a Nature-based Solution in agriculture and is presented as a case study in the report “Sustainable agriculture and Nature-based Solutions”. The report aims at encouraging the uptake of NbS in agriculture for healthy and biodiversity-positive agroecosystems.
The approach that MedINA has been implementing since 2017 in Lemnos, initially through the Terra Lemnia project (2017-2022) and currently through the Let it Grow programme for Sustainable Food Systems, aims to revitalise the traditional agro-pastoral management system of the mandra of Lemnos in a modern context that addresses the needs of farmers, conserving biodiversity and the landscape, valorising the local identity and promoting synergies between local stakeholders. The recognition of Terra Lemnia’s approach as a Nature-based Solution was based on the relevant IUCN Global Standard, which examines eight (8) criteria of environmental, social and economic sustainability:
1. NbS effectively address societal challenges
2. Design of NbS is informed by scale
3. NbS result in a net gain to biodiversity and ecosystem integrity
4. NbS are economically viable
5. NbS are based on inclusive, transparent and empowering governance processes
6. NbS equitably balance trade-offs between achievement of their primary goal(s) and the continued provision of multiple benefits
7. NbS are managed adaptively, based on evidence
8. NbS are sustainable and mainstreamed within an appropriate jurisdictional context
The inclusion of Terra Lemnia’s holistic approach as a successful example of a Nature-based Solution in agriculture is a concrete recognition of MedINA’s efforts and encourages us to vigorously continue our activities in Lemnos and other rural communities of Greece to strengthen sustainable agrifood systems that protect the environment and empower local communities!
