POWER AND LIMITATIONS OF NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS TO ENHANCE COASTAL RESILIENCE

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Abstract
Coastal communities are unquestionably threatened by sea level rise and storm intensification. Their vulnerability is primarily function of their exposure, increasing in time, resulting into cascading effects affecting the spatial and temporal risk variability along shorelines. Many coastal communities, fearing for their future, are considering interventions aimed at improving their resilience, in particular, Natural and Nature-Based Features (NNBF) to respect the functionality of the local ecosystem and minimize negative feedback effects, that are often induced by interventions. While such features are appealing, their long-term efficiency in a changing environment is not always anticipated, and sometimes misunderstood or overestimated. In the present study, which is sponsored by the United States (US) NOAA’s “Effects of Sea-Level Rise (SLR) 2021, Coastal Resilience” Program, building on over a decade of hazard and risk assessment studies along the US New England shoreline (e.g., Grilli et al., 2017, 2020; Schuh et al., 2023), we assess the efficiency of selected NNBF in changing climate conditions, while integrating local concerns, observed trends, and supporting local ecosystem and people’s way of life.