Samenvatting

In conclusion, the research objective was met. The objective was to identify and structure the key factors and value creation mechanisms that shape the prospects for financial sustainability of NbS interventions, or projects with a central NbS component, in order to support the assessment of what makes a sound business case for small-scale nature restoration within BRH. The research identified five value creation models and six recurring factors across the retained cases. It also showed that revenue from products was the most common primary financing pathway, but that revenue alone was not enough to explain whether a value creation mechanism appeared promising. Across the cases, prospects for financial sustainability were linked to how restoration, value creation, local organisation, market access, phased support, and strategic partners were combined. The main research question was: “How can Nature-based Solutions (NbS) interventions and their associated value creation mechanisms be evaluated to assess their prospects for financial sustainability within the Bintan Resilient Horizons project?” Based on the findings, NbS interventions and their associated value creation mechanisms can be evaluated by assessing six conditions: whether restoration and value creation are aligned; whether community organisation and benefit sharing are present; whether there is a clear route to market or buyer logic; whether there are opportunities for local value capture or value addition; whether early-stage support and phased financing are available; and whether strategic partners and intermediaries are involved. These factors do not prove long-termfinancial sustainability, but they provide a structured basis for comparing restoration-linkedopportunities. For BRH, this means that assessment should not focus only on whether an NbS option has ecological or social benefits. It should also look at whether those benefits are connected to realistic value creation mechanisms and whether the surrounding conditions make the development of a sound business case more plausible.