Nature-based solutions are core assets, not just environmental concerns

Palladium India CEO Amit Patjoshi urged treating nature-based solutions as core infrastructure assets. He emphasized 'Prakriti Rakshit Rakshita' (nature protects when protected), calling for better governance and private finance to scale these solutions.

At the recent climate change policy dialogue "Transformations through and for Nature at Durbar" on sustainable development and climate resilience, Amit Patjoshi, CEO of Palladium India, emphasized the urgent need to treat nature-based solutions as core infrastructure assets rather than peripheral environmental concerns. Opening his remarks, he said, "The subject is quite enriching. There is an old Sanskrit is saying 'Prakriti Rakshit Rakshita' which means nature protects when protected."

He noted that the COVID-19 pandemic reinforced this principle, adding, "An example of the same was given by Dr Viva during the covid time and I must say that while framing this session is what exactly right when we talk about how the wetlands the forest catchments close the run up of the floods the mangroves protect it is necessary to understand how such solution can be scaled in a sustainabale mod so that they thrive using the overall public budget."

Embedding Resilience in the Economy

Patjoshi stressed that resilience must move beyond public funding and become embedded within economic systems. "Today, we would be discussing how this developments resilience economy establish we can absolutely function in India looking at the ground challenges," he said, pointing to the realities faced by administrators during extreme weather events.

Highlighting Governance Gaps

Highlighting governance gaps, he remarked, "All of us in this room probably relate when the DM gets a call there's heavy rains roads clogged immediate answer is what failed. When you go upstream look at forest it is not the drains it's the floodplains which has been degraded it is the wetlands which has been used as a parking lot that has led to the change of the overall ecosystem."

Integrating Ecological Design and Private Finance

He argued that infrastructure planning must integrate ecological design principles. "Hence it is necessary at this point we integrate whatever designs we are doing in infrastructure it is mandatory for an enterprise that it is not coming back how exactly we scale up how exactly we attract private finance," he said, noting that funding is not the core constraint. "There are funds available there in no dearth of funds... solutions do not work only with good intentions but with right intuitions, right governance frameworks so that there is enough interest in finance."

A Call for Structural Reform: Valuing Nature as an Asset

Calling for structural reform, Patjoshi concluded that nature-based solutions should be valued as assets. "When we talk about science it is the architecture that matters... we should treat solutions as asset. Care should defined and should be used as an asset... when we talk about India how India can give and protect its nature enabling the benefits if it there are so many examples in India."

Aligning Ecology, Reform, and Investment for India's Future

The discussion underscored a growing consensus that India's resilience strategy must align ecological restoration, institutional reform, and private investment to safeguard its future. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)