Nature-Based Solutions to Enhance Coastal Resilience

Dear Colleagues,

Coastal communities are experiencing the effects of climate change, including more intense storms, flooding, and erosion. Traditionally, the strategy to address coastal risk has been the use of hard coastal protection structures, often based on historical damages from erosion, or in response to a specific disaster event. These hard structures (e.g., seawalls, breakwaters) were designed with little to no consideration of their impact on ecosystems or possible adaptation to climate and global changes.

However, in recent years, an innovative and more sustainable strategy using nature-based solutions (NbS) has begun to emerge. These solutions lie in restoring and/or emulating nature in order to increase human, ecosystes and infrastructure resilience to climate impacts, which often result in environmental, economic, and social co-benefits (including carbon sequestration).

NbS can include both natural and green infrastructures. The natural infrastructures include the creation and restoration of coastal ecosystems (wetlands, biogenic reef structures, seagrass beds, and dune vegetation, among others), while the green infrastructures include a “living shoreline” approach to coastal improvement. Such an infrastructure can be created using plants, reefs, sand, and natural barriers to reduce erosion and flooding.

Nature-based solutions are becoming more prevalent and widely accepted as infrastructure solutions in coastal management. This Special Issue aims to provide an overview of the progress made in this area, including case-studies, challenges, and solutions.

Dr. Sebastião Teixeira
Dr. Teresa Drago
Dr. Jorge Lobo Arteaga
Guest Editors

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