Federal Cost-Benefit Analysis Policies for Evaluating Nature-Based Solutions

US federal agencies use cost-benefit analysis (CBA) to make decisions about the types of infrastructure projects to implement. Current federal CBA policies tend to favor gray infrastructure projects over Nature-based Solutions (NbS). In the third session of the Nature-Based Solutions: Current Issues webinar series, hear from experts working with the federal government to think about how these policies might be updated to enable more NbS projects to get implemented.

This webinar series is being hosted by the National Ecosystem Services Partnership (NESP) and the Resilience Roadmap Project at the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability, and we are very pleased to have the Coastal Flood Resilience Project co-hosting this session.

ABOUT THE SERIES:

Nature-based solutions are actions to protect, manage, or restore natural or modified ecosystems that address societal challenges. These solutions are varied and multi-purpose, and are important tools to simultaneously benefit both people and nature. Interest in NbS is growing from both the public and private sectors, as is the desire to scale up implementation—so conversations around NbS effectiveness, execution, funding, and policies are more crucial than ever. Explore current NbS issues, discover promising practices, and hear from experts working in this field during a new webinar series: Nature-Based Solutions: Current Issues. The series is organized by the National Ecosystem Services Partnership and the Resilience Roadmap project.

REFERENCES & RESOURCES:

• CBA Case studies from The Nature Conservancy and partners:
  • Maui, Hawaii Coral Restoration FEMA CBA study
  • Floodplains for the Future
  • The Paradise California wildfire project that quantified the expected change in urban ignition risk that would come from strategically sited wildfire buffers. Another analysis quantifies the insurance and financial benefits associated with that approach
• Water Institute of the Gulf and USACE Engineering with Nature Reports:
  • Evolution of Benefits Evaluation and Prioritization of Water Resources Projects
  • Consideration of Nature-Based Solutions in USACE Planning Studies
• National Wildlife Federation’s Nature-Based Solutions Funding Database
• FEMA Memo on Alternative Cost-Effectiveness Methodologies
• International Guidelines on Natural and Nature-Based Features for Flood Risk Management
• Army Corps of Engineers Measuring What Matters Summit
• Using Nature to Address Flooding: Database of resources and case studies
• Guide on how to effectively apply for FEMA mitigation grant funding to fund NBS projects

• Jeff Peterson (moderator), Co-Facilitator, Coastal Flood Resilience Project
• Jessie Ritter, Senior Director, Water Resources and Coastal Policy, National Wildlife Foundation
• Sarah Murdock, Director, US Climate Adaptation Policy, The Nature Conservancy
• Jordan Fischbach, Director, Planning and Policy Research, Water Institute of the Gulf