Flooding risks, sea level rise, storm surges, and extreme heat are accelerating with a changing climate. Ecosystems are also at risk, along with the social, economic, and environmental benefits they provide. Nature-based climate adaptation approaches offer opportunities to bring people into greater harmony with ecology, secure and enhance ecosystem services for future generations, and cost-effectively reduce some flooding risks.  Funders, regulators, adaptation professionals, and the public now view nature-based adaptation as no longer an aspiration, but a priority or requirement. Pilot projects are being scaled up to billions of oysters, miles of shoreline, and hectares of wetlands. But how feasible and effective are they? And how do we effectively regulate and build the capacity to plan and implement them at scales that match the urgency of risks, speed of climate changes, and our own expectations? Join us to learn about the opportunities and barriers to scaling up nature-based approaches to climate adaptation, from planning to permitting to implementation.

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Forum Co-Chairs

Nasser Brahim, Senior Climate Resiliency Specialist, Woods Hole Group
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Mark Costa, Water Resources and Civil Engineer, VHB
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Melanie Gárate, Director of Climate Engagement, Stone Living Lab
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Forum Speakers

Alison Bowden, Director of Science & Strategy, The Nature Conservancy
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Pippa Brashear, Resilience Principal, SCAPE
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Jason Burtner, South Shore Regional Coordinator, Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM)
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Leah Feldman, Coastal Policy Analyst, Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (RI CRMC)
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Heidi Nutters, Senior Program Manager, San Francisco Estuary Partnership
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Steve Rochette, Chief of Public Affairs, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Philadelphia District
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