Scaling up Nature-based Solutions (NbS) is central to the societal transformation required to tackle interconnected challenges such as climate impacts, water risks, and biodiversity loss. Yet implementation remains constrained by limited, robust evidence on how NbS deliver the societal benefits they promise—especially improvements in climate resilience to floods and droughts, and measurable gains in biodiversity.

This Policy Brief presents a systemic monitoring approach for NbS that captures their environmental and socio-economic performance across broad sustainable-development objectives and major economic sectors. Applying this framework to 18 freshwater restoration case studies across Europe — each guided by the IUCN Global Standard for NbS — we demonstrate how diverse and heterogeneous data can be synthesised into coherent, actionable evidence. The results show how consistent monitoring strengthens confidence in the effectiveness, co-benefits, and upscaling potential of NbS.