Issue no. 5 - 4 November 2025

Read on in this month’s Science Explained to discover how leveraging nature is increasingly recognized as one of the most effective ways to protect our shorelines, improve water quality, and strengthen community resilience.

Across the East End, healthy dune habitats protect homes from flooding, oysters, scallops, and clams filter pollutants from our bays, and native vegetation keep shorelines in place and reduce runoff. These familiar natural systems support more than wildlife—they support us. Together, they can be categorized under the banner of Nature-based Solutions. Let’s take a closer look.

8 minute read.

What are Nature-based Solutions?

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are actions to address societal challenges, such as climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss, through the protection, sustainable management and restoration of ecosystems, benefiting both biodiversity and human well-being (International Union for Conservation of Nature, 2020). 

The NbS approach works with natural systems to reduce risk and provide long-term sustainability. Healthy ecosystems deliver multiple benefits, free of charge. For example, dunes absorb storm surge and protect communities while supporting diverse wildlife and providing recreational opportunities. 

Community Involvement

It is widely recognized that to ensure success, community involvement at all project stages is essential. Local input ensures projects get to the root of problems, reflect history and real needs, and serve those most impacted.

Understanding the Problem



Earth’s climate and ecological systems depend on balance. Gases such as carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), and water vapor naturally trap heat in the atmosphere, keeping the planet at a livable temperature. But human activity—most prominently burning fossil fuels—has disrupted that balance, leading to warming of the planet, and the domino effects of disruptions in the Earth system: sea‑level rise, more extreme weather events, droughts, negative impacts on human health, and other disturbances.

Further, these changes have a connected problem: the accelerating loss of biodiversity and degradation of natural systems. Across the globe and here at home, forests, shorelines, grasslands, and marine habitats are facing pressure from and have been degraded or lost through development, pollution, and changing environmental conditions.

These changes are not separate from climate change—they are part of what scientists refer to as the interconnected climate and ecological crises. 

As ecosystems lose species, structure, and function, their ability to support human health, protect shorelines, and regulate water and climate weakens. Research shows that increased temperatures, seasonal shifts, and invasive species are disrupting the balance of natural systems that communities rely on, and the loss of nature and climate disruption are a vicious cycle, deepening risks for both people and wildlife.

Terminology

A few key terms that are especially important when discussing solutions for Earth's changing climate:

Mitigation: refers to actions that reduce or prevent the greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change.

Adaptation: means adjusting systems in response to actual or expected climate conditions and their effects. For humans, this means reducing harm or taking advantage of potential benefits.

Resilience: is the capacity of communities, economies, and ecosystems to withstand and recover from disturbance while continuing to function and maintain their identities, while being able to adapt and improve over time.

What NbS Look Like Locally

Restoring Oyster Reefs, Eelgrass Beds, and Native Macroalgae

Shellfish and submerged aquatic vegetation play a major role in protecting our waters. Oyster reefs and eelgrass beds filter pollutants, improve water clarity, stabilize sediments, and provide critical habitat for marine life. Native sugar kelp mitigate climate change, improve water oxygenation, and reduce excess nutrients. They also help reduce disaster risk and infrastructure damage through buffering wave energy and protecting shorelines from erosion.

📍In New York waters, restoration of these key organisms is a growing priority. Many programs including those at the Town of East Hampton Shellfish Hatchery Aquaculture Department, Shinnecock Kelp Farmers, Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Marine Habitat Program, Shinnecock Bay Restoration Program, and Billion Oyster Project are working to reseed oyster populations and restore eelgrass beds. These efforts improve biodiversity, support sustainable fisheries, and reduce nutrient pollution, protecting people and the planet.

Dunes and Coastal Buffers

On Montauk’s coastline, dune systems form a natural line of protection. They absorb wave energy, hold sand in place, and host vegetation that stabilizes the land. Healthy coastal habitats, including dunes, swales, maritime moorlands, and wetlands, also support diverse wildlife and pollinators.

📍Currently, the Town of East Hampton is focused on the final stages before implementation of the second phase of its Ditch Plains Beach Recovery Project, which will restore and create an engineered dune system to protect the Ditch Plains community from high risk of flooding in coastal storm events. Learn more.

Living Shorelines

Rather than relying solely on hardened bulkheads or seawalls, living shorelines use natural materials like native intertidal and shoreline vegetation, oyster reefs, and coir logs to stabilize the shore and create habitat. Evidence from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows these systems outperform rigid structures during major storms.

📍A local example is the living shoreline demonstration project at the Suffolk County Marine Environmental Learning Center in Southold, led by the Peconic Estuary Partnership in collaboration with the Town of Southold, Suffolk County, and Cornell Cooperative Extension.

Maryland’s 2008 Living Shorelines Protection Act requires homeowners to prove that non-structural methods aren’t feasible before using bulkheads, in part due to the success of these systems during Hurricane Isabel. Similar principles are being explored for coastal resilience in New York. Learn more here.

As these examples show, NbS are broad and can take many forms, from protecting what exists (e.g., dune or lands preservation), to restoring what’s been lost (e.g., oyster reefs), to creating new systems in degraded areas. Many projects combine all three approaches, boosting resilience, habitat, and local economies at once. 

A Shift in Science and Policy

The idea of working with nature is not new—but the good news is, it’s becoming integrated as a core part of the frameworks governments use to plan, fund and implement climate resilience and development projects.

Internationally, major players like the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) have brought NbS to the forefront of climate action, bolstered by growing scientific consensus and advocacy from nongovernmental organizations like Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy and World Wildlife Fund. 

The IUCN Global Standard lays out best practices and creates a blueprint for high-impact projects—while opening doors for investment from banks and the private sector. NbS now represent one of the most cost-effective paths to tackling climate change, biodiversity loss, and water insecurity all at once. But current global funding—roughly $154 billion/year—is still less than half of what’s needed by 2030. The takeaway? The strategy is proven; now scaling is needed.

Nationally, federal agencies have indicated the need to scale NbS. The Nature-Based Solutions Resource Guide 2.0 (2023) documents how agencies including FEMA and DOT are funding NbS across the U.S.—pointing to how they support public health and safety, reduce infrastructure and stormwater management costs, and support jobs. In recent years, NbS shifted from "nice to have" to core infrastructure.

Here in New York, that shift is taking root. The Statewide Shoreline Monitoring Framework, developed by the Department of State with NOAA and NYSERDA, helps track the performance of dunes, wetlands, and living shorelines across Long Island and beyond. It evaluates three key benefits—ecological function, hazard protection, and social/economic outcomes—and is building a statewide dataset to guide smarter, evidence-based coastal investments.

Why Do We Need Nature-based Solutions?

Traditional “grey” infrastructure has been the go-to for flood and erosion control. But these rigid structures are costly, degrade ecosystems, and often fail as sea levels rise and storms intensify. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) offer a more flexible, cost-effective approach.

Evidence shows NbS work:

• A global review of 194 case studies found NbS reduce climate impacts like flooding, erosion, and water shortages.
• Recent peer-reviewed articles estimate NbS could deliver 30% of the cost-effective climate mitigation needed by 2030.
• A 2018 study estimated that NbS could reduce coastal flood damages in the U.S. by more than $50 billion annually.

NbS also advance multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals including climate action, disaster-risk reduction, biodiversity, resilient infrastructure and partnerships.

Take Action—What You Can Do

At Home:

Become a Clean Water Steward and join our community movement to pledge to choose one or more actions at home including: 

• Plant native species
• Swap pavement for permeable materials
• Start a rain garden or install a rain barrel
• Begin composting at home or at a local drop-off site

In the Community:

Help move the needle for NbS and give voice to the continued prioritization of nature-based coastal and shoreline resilience projects in the Town of East Hampton:

• Attend town meetings and support open space protection
• Speak up for dunes, wetlands, and clean water initiatives
• Support green infrastructure in your neighborhood
• Back renewable energy and local resilience plans

Final Thought: Working with Nature for Long-term Solutions

For centuries, people around the world have understood that thriving societies depend on healthy natural systems. On the East End of Long Island, Indigenous communities practiced this understanding through actions like using menhaden as natural fertilizer, allowing farmland to rest, and protecting habitats for future harvests. These time-tested approaches reflect a deep knowledge of ecosystem balance and continue to guide nature-based approaches for resilience today.

Today, more and more scientists, policymakers, and communities recognize this understanding: the environment is not just our backdrop—it’s infrastructure. Investing in nature is investing in our collective resilience, economy, and future.

🌊 What do you want to see in our next Science Explained? Let us know!

Thanks for exploring with us,

R Holloway