Journal profile · Environmental Science-General Environmental Science
NatureBased Solutions
ISSN 2772-4115 · Elsevier · United States
NatureBased Solutions: impact factor 4 (journal website); fully open access; APC about USD 2,320; review about 179 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); 85 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
NatureBased Solutions is published by Elsevier. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Land Use and Ecosystem Services, Urban Green Space and Health and Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics, together about 39.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Global and Planetary Change. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Nature-Based Solutions is a home to research of nature-based solutions (NBS), to both broaden and deepen scientific knowledge on NBS and advance its adoption, synthesis, and application to address critical societal challenges at multiple scales. NBS utilize nature and/or ecological processes to strengthen a system's capacity to deal with multiple and interconnected challenges. NBS represent a holistic approach to climate change adaptation and resilience building, with equal reliance upon social, environmental, and economic pillars.Nature-Based Solutions aims to support NBS mainstreaming through the generation of an increasingly detailed knowledge base on NBS (co-)design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of performance, impact and cost-effectiveness, and adaptive management of NBS. This knowledge is intended to inform the further development of policy instruments related to topics including: climate change adaptationbiodiversity enhancementdisaster risk reductionnatural resource managementsustainable agricultural practicessustainable land use planning and urban developmentreduced greenhouse gas emissions and environmental pollution mitigationcircular economyThe journal publishes full-length research papers, reviews, policy analyses, perspective articles, short communications and case studies that build the evidence base on NBS through in-depth investigation of local and regional use cases and support the integration of NBS within multi-level, evidence-based policy instruments. Replication, up-scaling and out-scaling investigations are also considered. Contributors must explicitly identify how their research addresses at least two of the three pillars (social, environmental, economic) of NBS in their papers' Highlights.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Environmental Science-General Environmental Science
Editor-in-chief Joan GarciaPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 5 in mainland China (about 16%); most named United States 6, Mainland China 5, Italy 5, Spain 3, United Kingdom 2 (32 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Land Use and Ecosystem ServicesEnvironmental Science18.5%
- Urban Green Space and HealthEnvironmental Science13.5%
- Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamicsEnvironmental Science7.5%
- Urban Heat Island MitigationEnvironmental Science7.2%
- Flood Risk Assessment and ManagementEnvironmental Science6%
- Sustainability and Climate Change GovernanceEnvironmental Science5.7%
- Coastal and Marine ManagementEnvironmental Science3.9%
- Urban Agriculture and SustainabilityAgricultural and Biological Sciences3.6%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 8.3LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 8.3Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.33LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.47LetPub ·
- h-index
- 30OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 115OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.86OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 10%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 83LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 370 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 78 | 78 | 46 |
| 2025 | 85 | 85 | 366 |
| 2024 | 101 | 101 | 872 |
| 2023 | 59 | 59 | 904 |
| 2022 | 39 | 39 | 1,771 |
| 2021 | 8 | 8 | 278 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
179 dayssubmission to acceptance · community reports about 15 weeks
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 15 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 5 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 71 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 179 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 3 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 27 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | USD 2,320 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 1,910 / EUR 1,790 / GBP 1,530 / JPY 236,900 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 1,800 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 2,900 | — | — |
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Open calls for papers1, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 8,000 words
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- Highlights
- Required
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted15, with length limits
- case studyThe journal will publish full length research papers, reviews, policy analyses, perspective articles, short communications and case studies. We encourage the su…Length not stated
- commentaryThe journal will publish full length research papers, reviews, policy analyses, perspective articles, short communications and case studies. We encourage the su…Length not stated
- full length articles (research papers)1. Full length articles (Research papers) Research papers report the results of original research. The material must not have been previously published elsewher…Length not stated
- letterThe journal will publish full length research papers, reviews, policy analyses, perspective articles, short communications and case studies. We encourage the su…Length not stated
- literature reviewThe journal will publish full length research papers, reviews, policy analyses, perspective articles, short communications and case studies. We encourage the su…Length not stated
- opinionThe journal will publish full length research papers, reviews, policy analyses, perspective articles, short communications and case studies. We encourage the su…Length not stated
- original researchThe journal will publish full length research papers, reviews, policy analyses, perspective articles, short communications and case studies. We encourage the su…Length not stated
- perspectiveThe journal will publish full length research papers, reviews, policy analyses, perspective articles, short communications and case studies. We encourage the su…main text ≤ 8,000 words
- research paperThe journal will publish full length research papers, reviews, policy analyses, perspective articles, short communications and case studies. We encourage the su…Length not stated
- reviewThe journal will publish full length research papers, reviews, policy analyses, perspective articles, short communications and case studies. We encourage the su…Length not stated
- review articleThe journal will publish full length research papers, reviews, policy analyses, perspective articles, short communications and case studies. We encourage the su…main text ≤ 12,000 words
- review articles2. Review articles Reviews summarize the status of research in a field of current interest. They may be submitted or invited. Review articles are up to 12,000 w…Length not stated
- short communicationThe journal will publish full length research papers, reviews, policy analyses, perspective articles, short communications and case studies. We encourage the su…main text ≤ 4,000 words
- short communications4. Short communications Short communications highlight both novel research and replication studies that report preliminary findings that are particularly compel…Length not stated
- viewpointThe journal will publish full length research papers, reviews, policy analyses, perspective articles, short communications and case studies. We encourage the su…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Double anonymized peer review Model summary
This journal follows a double anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication. In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service on SSRN, Elsevier’s preprint and early research …
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Country or region
- United States
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2772-4115
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗DOAJ
- Aims & Scope ↗DOAJ
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗DOAJ
- Editorial board ↗DOAJ
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about NatureBased Solutions
What is the impact factor of NatureBased Solutions?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 4; this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 8.3, h-index 30.
How long does peer review take at NatureBased Solutions?
The publisher reports about 179 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of about 15 weeks. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of NatureBased Solutions?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Manuscript length: ≤ 8,000 words; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; Highlights: Required; Cover letter: Required. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of NatureBased Solutions based?
Of the 32 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 5 (about 16%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (6), Mainland China (5) and Italy (5). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index NatureBased Solutions?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, NatureBased Solutions is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is NatureBased Solutions open access, and what is the APC?
NatureBased Solutions is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 2,320.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex, DOAJ; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-26). Last updated: .