Working with nature.

With climate change and sea level rise our coastlines are rapidly changing. Storms and major freshwater events are becoming more frequent and more intense. This has led to coastline loss and/or damage due to erosion, as well as significant and costly damage to important infrastructure with flooding from coastal and inland sources becoming the number one natural disaster to impact homeowner in Canada (Insurance Bureau of Canada, 2018). Traditionally hard infrastructure (such as rock walls or diversion channels) have been used to combat erosion and flooding, but—with the changing climate conditions—have become less effective.

Living shorelines and natural infrastructure temper erosion and have been proven to perform better than hardened shorelines and surfaces, particularly during a storm. For example, in southern Ontario, it has been determined that wetlands reduced flood damage costs to buildings as much as 38%. By using nature-based solutions that are designed to mimic natural processes, erosion and flooding can be mitigated and the coastline can reach a stable state. In addition to erosion control, living shorelines and natural infrastructure provide natural habitats, environmental functions (such as water filtration), and are self-strengthening over time.