How nature-based solutions support mobility as an adaptation strategy

Abstract Mobility and Nature-based solutions (NbS) are recognised as climate adaptation responses, yet their interactions and the implications for adaptation remain poorly understood. We investigate how NbS influence mobility in Sub Saharan Africa using 60 story-based interviews with community members involved in NbS. Combining qualitative personas with quantitative analysis, we identified nine NbS-related mobility personas capturing positive, buffering and negative roles of NbS in mobility as an adaptation strategy. The findings demonstrate that NbS influenced mobility not only through livelihood creation, but by reshaping how individuals understood future possibilities in place. Across the personas, NbS expanded climate and environmental literacy, strengthened adaptive capacity and environmental stewardship, and supported livelihoods. Rather than determining whether people leave or stay or determining mobility outcomes, NbS reshaped aspirations, capabilities and perceived future possibilities. We provide a transferable framework for understanding the role of NbS in mobility to support equitable climate adaptation across the Global South.