Nature-Based Solutions Protect Coastal Areas

Nature-based solutions use natural habitats such as marshes and built features like oyster reefs. They also use natural processes, including river currents, in building projects. These approaches aim to reduce risks from coastal storms and other dangers. At the same time, they provide economic, social, and environmental benefits. Other examples include artificial coral reefs, built dunes, and adding sediment to expand barrier islands or the salt marshes on them. Coastal areas face special risks from storms because they sit at the edge of land and ocean. About 40 percent of the population in the United States lives close to a coastline. Barrier islands and their salt marshes help shorelines resist strong storms, including hurricanes and the higher water levels those storms bring. Salt marshes also protect people and buildings from regular waves. In addition, they provide homes for many animals, store carbon, support recreational activities, and help improve water quality. Some barrier islands and their salt marshes are disappearing quickly for several reasons. One major reason is the rise in sea levels. In response, federal agencies sometimes use clean material from dredging shipping channels to rebuild the lost habitats. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) studies these projects. Researchers want to know which management methods can produce better results for the marshes and what benefits nature-based solutions actually provide. They also examine how a restored system works compared with a natural one in terms of basic functions, animal habitats, and carbon storage. Other questions include whether the benefits will last after 15 years, how the changes affect the marsh’s ability to reduce wave force or protect areas behind it, and whether the marsh will continue to remove carbon dioxide from the air as effectively as before. Answering these questions is an important first step toward improving the rebuilding of salt marsh areas that provide many benefits.

Why do you think nature-based solutions are useful for coastal areas?