Webinar: Building Climate Resilience in Rural Coastal Communities with Dr. Susan Bates

On October 22, at 14:00 CEST, the second webinar in our joint series with CMCC, featuring Dr. Susan Bates discussing nature-based solutions for building climate resilience in rural coastal communities

webinar on nature based solutions for rural communities

  • Date: 22 OCTOBER 2024  from 14:00 to 15:00

  • Event location: Online event

  • Type: Webinars

The second webinar in our series, organized in collaboration with CMCC, took place on October 22, 2024, at 14:00 CEST. Susan Bates, Coastal Science Program Manager at The Nature Conservancy’s Volgenau Virginia Coast Reserve (VVCR), explored how The Nature Conservancy’s Coastal Resilience Program built climate resilience in rural coastal communities.

During the session, Dr. Bates presented strategies from Virginia’s Eastern Shore, including the use of the Coastal Resilience Mapping Tool and nature-based solutions (NBS) like oyster reef restoration to protect marshlands and support local communities. These projects exemplified how scientific research and on-the-ground conservation efforts can inform decision-making and policy initiatives.

Susan Bates, who holds a Ph.D. in Climate Dynamics and has a rich background in oceanography and atmospheric research, now leads The Nature Conservancy's Coastal Resilience Program. Her work focuses on enhancing biodiversity, mitigating coastal hazards, and fostering community engagement to advance coastal resilience.

 

Full Abstract

The Coastal Resilience Program at The Nature Conservancy (TNC) was designed to integrate a community engagement approach with a web mapping decision support tool that is delivered through a network of practitioners around the world supporting hazard mitigation, climate adaptation, and conservation planning. Components of this program include the online Coastal Resilience Mapping Tool (maps.coastalresilience.org), demonstration of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) and research on the value of those NBS. Examples of the implementation of each of these components at the Virginia Coast Reserve (VCR) will be discussed in this presentation.  

The Coastal Resilience Team at VCR has been strategic with methods to enhance NBS for coastal resilience in its rural communities. We have built a strong base for authentic communication with partners and community members, implemented TNC’s Coastal Resilience Tool driven by community and partner needs, and conducted NBS demonstration projects that can be used as blueprints for other coastal areas. Two projects will be highlighted in this talk – one is a marsh protection project in which methods for building oyster reefs are being tested to enhance biodiversity and slow erosion on a marsh that protects a seaside community, and the other has resulted in a Coastal Adaptation and Resilience Plan written by and for the specific community. Both projects have created a pathway for further community engagement and additional coastal resilience projects. Additionally, to affect statewide and policy initiatives, we created an internal TNC-Virginia team focused on effective and equitable NBS opportunities for all Virginia communities.