Nature-Based Resilience for Gulf Coast Communities

The document explores nature-based solutions—such as wetlands, oyster reefs, and dune restoration—as alternatives or complements to traditional 'gray' infrastructure for mitigating storm surge, flooding, and erosion along the U.S. Gulf Coast. It highlights the role of regional partnerships like the Gulf of Mexico Alliance and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Coastal Program in implementing these strategies. A significant portion of the discussion focuses on the 'sediment crisis,' arguing for the beneficial use of dredged material to rebuild marshes and beaches. The panel concludes with legislative recommendations for the U.S. Congress, including reforming Army Corps of Engineers' cost-benefit ratios and funding pre-disaster mitigation.

• Nature-based infrastructure provides a suite of co-benefits beyond risk reduction, including improved water quality, fishery and wildlife habitat, and urban cooling through increased tree canopy.
• Healthy coral reefs can significantly reduce wave energy, with evidence showing they can diminish it by 95%.
• Wetlands provide substantial economic value in disaster mitigation; a post-Hurricane Sandy study on the eastern seaboard found that existing wetlands abated $625 million in damages to homes and structures.
• The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Coastal Program has restored over 1.5 million acres and leveraged $1.6 billion for conservation, achieving a leverage ratio of $8 for every $1 invested.
• The Salt Bayou Watershed Restoration Plan in Texas, completed in 2013 after 15 years, utilizes four primary elements: beneficial use of dredged material, increasing freshwater inputs via siphons, restoring a historic beach ridge, and balancing saltwater at the Keith Lake fish pass.
• The Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA) uses a 'Resilience Index' to help local decision-makers evaluate risks to critical infrastructure, transportation, and business plans, which has led to the development of specific indices for tourism, fisheries, and ports.
• The U.S. coastline is facing a 'sediment shortage crisis' caused by the channelization of rivers, the trapping of sediment behind dams, and the use of jetties that push sediment offshore rather than allowing it to accumulate on beaches.
• The Army Corps of Engineers' current 'federal standard' often incentivizes dumping dredge material offshore because it is the cheapest option, ignoring the long-term lifetime costs of losing that sediment for coastal restoration.
• Proposed legislative solutions to support nature-based resilience include the Living Shorelines Act to fund NOAA grants and the Coastal Communities Adaptation Act to create a revolving fund for low-interest loans for coastal adaptation.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2019). Nature-Based Resilience for Gulf Coast Communities. https://www.eesi.org/files/transcript_062519.pdf

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Nature-Based Resilience for Gulf Coast Communities. 2019. https://www.eesi.org/files/transcript_062519.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=Nature-Based Resilience for Gulf Coast Communities |date=June 2019 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/transcript_062519.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute2019naturebased, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{Nature-Based Resilience for Gulf Coast Communities}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2019}, month = jun, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/transcript_062519.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }