In late May, NCCOS scientists joined engineers and researchers from across the U.S. in St. Augustine, FL for the Network for Engineering with Nature (N-EWN) Partner Symposium. The two-day event featured a poster session, panel discussions, and individual presentations.
The event centered around nature-based solutions (NBS), like marsh restoration or coastal dune nourishment, and how these options can be integrated into engineering projects to enhance resilience. Topics included policy needs surrounding NBS, benefit-cost analysis, in-depth sessions on NBS in multiple ecosystems (dunes, wetlands, shorelines, agriculture), flood modeling, and permitting and regulation.
An NCCOS research ecologist presented a poster on NCCOS’ efforts to monitor and evaluate the performance of NBS. By revisiting sites 5-10 years after NBS project installation or restoration and evaluating performance, NCCOS can better inform future project designs to enhance coastal resilience.
The manager for the NCCOS Effects of Sea Level Rise (ESLR) program presented on how ESLR funding opportunities aim to target specific
science needs of coastal decision makers in order to move towards adoption of more large-scale NBS projects. In addition, the ESLR program manager participated in a panel discussing hydrodynamic modeling needs in order to support NBS design and implementation in the coastal zone.
The N-EWN is a community of researchers, practitioners, and educators working to integrate principles of natural ecosystems into engineering approaches for infrastructure and resilience challenges. It was established in 2019 from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Engineering with Nature® (EWN®) initiative. Several NCCOS projects are supported by the EWN program, including synthesizing how built structures can be used for coral reef-related applications and evaluating the success of island restoration for coastal protection.