Alhassan Ibrahim

• PhD
• Social Researcher in Mainstreaming Nature-based Solutions at James Hutton Institute

As the integrity and extent of many natural ecosystems continues to decline, the concept of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) is gaining traction as a means to reverse such trends. However, uptake of an NbS approach across society is often piecemeal or partial. This paper argues that a deeper connection with the literature on transformations will help r...

1. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) offer the potential to address societal, economic and environmental challenges: MERLIN emphasises NbS that go beyond traditional conservation-focused restoration by integrating solutions that enhance biodiversity, support climate adaptation, contribute to societal well-being, while also addressing new economic opport...

1. Using Value Chain Analysis to Promote NbS This report applies Value Chain Analysis (VCA) to key economic sectors within the MERLIN project, exploring how Nature-based Solutions (NbS) can be integrated into freshwater ecosystem restoration. The focus of VCA is to understand and illustrate the mechanisms through which value is created across secto...

Environmental challenges associated with stormwater management, including flooding, droughts and depleting water quality, are exacerbated in urban areas. Despite growing expertise and policy advocacy for alternatives to conventional stormwater management approaches, Ghanaian cities, like many cities in developing countries, have not adopted governa...

Access to housing data in Ghana has been a challenge for researchers due to the lack of comprehensive data sources. However, the recent availability of big data sources has presented opportunities to bridge this data access gap. Using Greater Accra as a case, this study uses web scraping techniques to acquire publicly available housing data from tw...

This paper explores the enabling governance conditions for implementing green stormwater infrastructure to transform waterways. Using Australia’s largest integrated stormwater management project in Adelaide’s River Torrens Catchment as a case study, we explore four key governance dimensions and their shifts over time: actors, rules of the game, dis...

MERLIN Deliverable D4.1 2 MERLIN Key messages 1. Mainstreaming aquatic restoration using Nature-based Solutions (NbS) requires involving all relevant stakeholders and understanding their connection with rivers and wetlands. We work with six economic 'MERLIN' sectors (Agriculture, Hydropower, Insurance, Navigation, Peat Extraction and Water Supply a...

A collaborative approach with key economic sectors is essential to enable the H2020 MERLIN project to promote systemic transformative change. We co-develop transformation strategies with different sectors to mainstream restoration as a Nature-based Solution (NbS). Working with nature at landscape scale can contribute to the EU Green Deal objectives...

The survey aimed to understand the opportunities and challenges to implementing nature-based solutions across Europe based on the views of economic sector experts. In addition to the six economic sectors of MERLIN, the responses were received from other complementary sectors such as forestry, fishery, water management and nature conservation. The f...

This publication is a working document that was developed for the EU-Horizon 2020 MERLIN project. It will be redeveloped into a manuscript for a journal publication.

The purpose of this note is to develop a guideline for stakeholder mapping for H2020 MERLIN case studies in Work Package (WP) 1 and 2 to establish Case Study Boards (CSB).

Climate change and growing urbanisation pose significant challenges to the sustainable management of water resources. Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) is being advocated to replace conventional, single-purpose stormwater systems. Yet, most sub-Saharan African cities continue to prioritise these conventional systems. Existing GSI research also...

Climate change and increasing urban density continue to pose severe challenges for the management of precious water resources. The River Torrens Catchment in Adelaide has suffered from poor water quality and flooding for decades. To address these challenges, a green infrastructure project, specifically a Linear Park, was created within the catchmen...

There is limited academic research on the interplay between spatial planning and partisan politics, particularly within the context of Africa, where it is argued that spatial planning institutions are not mutually exclusive from partisan political influences. This study is a contribution towards addressing this gap. It presents a comprehensive anal...

Effective integration across policy domains and between spatial scales is indispensable in dealing with the inherently complex process of policy formulation and implementation at all levels. In this paper, we examine the key features of Ghana’s spatial planning system focusing on the mechanisms and challenges of policy integration in practice. We s...