Addressing the needs for systemic and comparable analyses and evaluations of NbS, and underlying monitoring needs, which are often linked to assessing NbS design and performance. This entails an improved documentation of ecosystem functions and services, such as carbon sequestration and storage or services provided by woodlands and also comparing NbS to hybrid and conventional “grey” solutions. In this respect, efforts under development towards the set-up of the Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity and related a Science Service appear essential, noting the latter will test demonstration cases on the topic NbS This lever also relates to monitoring needs, such as enabling long-term monitoring and evaluation of ecosystem performance and functioning, as well as monitoring synergies and trade-offs between NbS impacts, different policy objectives and different stakeholder interests. There is presently a dearth of knowledge concerning NbS performance and impact at multiple scales, in the long term, and across different biogeographic regions. R&I can help simplify NbS planning and design processes and ensure the effectiveness of implemented NbS actions through standardised monitoring and evaluation processes, and by sharing data openly to enable meta-analyses of the effectiveness of individual NbS types or different NbS systems under a range of different conditions. In this respect, key efforts being developed for data integration and monitoring harmonisation, such as the co-development of transnational monitoring schemes for Europe.
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