Nature offers a powerful set of tools for addressing hazards like flooding and erosion. Nature-based solutions use natural systems, mimic natural processes, or work in tandem with traditional approaches to address these specific hazards. Communities across the globe— along rivers or coasts, large or small, rural or urban— can incorporate nature-based solutions in local planning, zoning, regulations, and built projects to help reduce their exposure to flood and erosion impacts.

Smart nature-based solutions provide multiple benefits and provide communities high returns on their collective investments in flood risk reduction strategies. The need for nature-based solutions is increasing, for example, with ninety-six percent of the total U.S. population living in counties where federally-declared weather-related disasters have occurred since 2010.