Natural & Nature-Based Solutions

Photo Credit: The Nature Conservancy

Nature-based solutions incorporate both the natural environment and engineered systems that mimic or work in concert with natural systems to provide flood, fire, and drought risk reduction, as well as cleaner water and air.

Natural and nature-based solutions (NNBS) are a method to enhance ecosystem resilience in both natural and human-dominated systems. While these solutions are often considered for coastal problems such as sea level rise and flooding, riverine and urban systems can also benefit from this design. When implemented correctly, NNBS can provide habitat protection, prevent wildlife loss, create greener cities, and combat issues such as extreme weather, food production, and water resource management.

These solutions act to protect, sustainably manage, and restore ecosystems to promote biodiversity and human well-being. By working with existing natural systems and human-made infrastructure, NNBS can produce long-term social, economic, and environmental benefits.

NNBS include green and natural infrastructure and can be paired with grey infrastructure for a hybrid approach.

Design Credit: Climate Adaptation Partners

Examples of Natural & Nature-Based Solutions

Salt Marsh Restoration.

Salt marshes provide many ecosystem services, such as providing food and shelter to birds, fish, and other wildlife. They also filter runoff, reduce erosion, stabilize shorelines, and protect the coast from storm surge.
Oyster Reef Restoration.

Oyster reefs promote healthy coastal environments by absorbing wave energy, reducing erosion, and providing habitat.
Beach Renourishment, Sand Dune Restoration and Revegetation.

Beach renourishment creates a wider beach, offering protection to infrastructure built along the waterfront. Restoring sand dunes increases the level of protection experienced by nearshore areas and helps combat storm surge. These areas also provide critical habitat for many species.
Bioretention Areas.

These areas are shallow depressions that use plants, soil, and microbes to treat stormwater. Examples of bioretention areas include rain gardens and bioswales. Benefits of bioretention areas include improved site landscaping, reduced runoff, and improved water quality.
Open Spaces.

Open spaces, such as parks and greenways, enhance property values, provide cultural opportunities, attract tourism, and encourage volunteerism. Open spaces can promote mental and physical health, improving human wellbeing. These areas also capture precipitation and reduce stormwater management costs.
Permeable Pavements.

Porous surfaces such as those used in permeable pavements catch precipitation and runoff, allowing water to slowly infiltrate into the soil below. These pavements can also help filter out pollutants and reduce the need for some conventional drainage features.
Forest Restoration.

Forests offer a multitude of environmental services. Not only do they provide habitat for wildlife, they also reduce air pollution and soil erosion, modify local climate, reduce noise pollution, produce oxygen for us to breathe while absorbing carbon dioxide, and soak up runoff.
Seagrass Restoration.

Seagrass beds provide habitat for many marine species, thus playing a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity. They are also vital to recreational and commercial fishing, with many species spending part of their lives in this habitat. Seagrass also filters pollutants and traps sediments, helping to improve water quality.
Mangrove Restoration.

Mangroves are critical habitats, providing nursery grounds for many marine species and food and protection for other species such as birds and reptiles. They simultaneously stabilize the coastline and aid in reducing erosion.
Coral Reef Restoration.

Coral reefs absorb wave energy, thus protecting the shore from erosion and storm surge. They also provide food and habitat to a multitude of marine species. The beauty and biodiversity found in coral reefs attract recreational users and many rely on them for food and income.

A Closer Look: Flood Mitigation Strategies

In South Carolina, we are all too familiar with the issue of flooding, whether it’s a result of storm surge, king tides, or intense rainfall. NNBS are a useful approach to mitigate the effects of flooding while maintaining and restoring ecosystem services. The examples below are a few ways natural systems and infrastructure can work in tandem to address flooding issues in our communities.

Natural and Nature-Based Solutions to Reduce Flood Impacts

Flood mitigation can go beyond alleviating flood risk in an area. Effective design can also create ecological and community benefits. Considering ecological and community goals in tandem with flood reduction goals can ultimately create valuable spaces that can be enjoyed by the community while allowing nature to return to its desired state.
Design Credit: Robinson Design Engineers

Floodplain Preservation.

Reduce the risk of flooding, prevent or reduce risk to human life and property, and maintain the functions and values of floodplains, such as allowing for the storage and natural conveyance of water.

Stream Restoration.

A set of activities that help improve the environmental health of a river or stream. These activities aim to restore the natural state and functioning of the river system in support of biodiversity, recreation, flood management and landscape development.

Living Shorelines.

An erosion control strategy that incorporates native wetland vegetation either alone, or in combination with structural elements like natural fiber logs, bagged oyster shell, rock, or wooden sills parallel to shore to provide an initial wave break.

Road Retrofits.

Retrofitting roads and the water conveyance structures, such as culverts, ditches, and drains, that are undersized to adequately convey water in developed areas.

Culvert and bridge replacements in emergencies, rather than proactive measures, increases replacement cost by 4-140 times.

Wetland Restoration.

The manipulation of a former or degraded wetland's physical, chemical, or biological characteristics to return its natural structure and function. For example, restoring the bottom elevation in a wetland can reestablish the hydrological regime, natural disturbance cycles and nutrient fluxes.

Constructed Wetands.

An artificial wetland to treat municipal or industrial wastewater or stormwater runoff. It may also be designed for land reclamation after mining, or as a mitigation step for natural areas lost to land development.

Beneficial Use of Sediment.

Using sediment dredged from waterways in an environmentally beneficial way rather than confining in a disposal site. Examples include thin layer placement to enhance marsh growth or placement of sand to enhance important sand shoals or barrier islands.

Property Buyout & Restoration.

The acquisition of flood-prone properties using a combination of federal, state, or local funds. Once the property has been purchased, buildings are removed, and the land can be restored to a natural state with the potential for habitat restoration.

Low-Impact Development.

An integrated, comprehensive approach to land development or redevelopment that works with nature to manage stormwater as close to its source as possible. LID practices mimic the natural hydrologic regime through strategically integrated stormwater controls distributed throughout the landscape.