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Nature-Based Solutions Tools Search

This database contains over 400 tools and resources that can help guide practitioners at various stages of the nature-based solutions project cycle. Use the filters to identify the tools and resources most useful to you.

You can filter the full list by the habitat type you’re working in, the nature-based solutions strategy you want to use, the project phase you are looking for help with, or the type of tool/resource you’re looking for.

The tools and resources shown here were gathered through a robust search of both federal and non-federal sources. We recognize that this library will never be completely comprehensive, but if you know of an important missing tool or resource, please email nesp@duke.edu.

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This guide focuses on identifying the agents of coral reef degradation and developing a plan to mitigate these drivers of decline. The authors provide information on identifying signs of reef decline to inform the creation of relevant restoration goals.

NBS Strategies:

This document outlines preferred culvert design guidelines when used as a crossing structure in fish-bearing streams per the USFWS Alaska Fish Passage Program. It includes design considerations, a site survey checklist, and pre- and mid-construction checklists.

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The Data Access Viewer (DAV) allows a user to search for and download elevation (lidar), imagery, and land cover data for the coastal U.S. and its territories. 

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Covering dune ecology and engineering, this guide gives specific instructions for restoring both front and back dune ecosystems. Additional topics covered include season variability, dune breaches, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) dune standards, and invasive species.

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Individualized guidebooks for each US ecoregion detailing the pollinators and plants appropriate for pollinator gardens in that region.

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This webpage allows people to report invasive species, monitor current distribution, learn about management methods, and get species information.

In a search to find the most effective restoration practices, the authors reviewed numerous restoration projects. Additionally, the guide includes case studies and recommendations to practitioners.

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EnviroAtlas data and resources can be used to inform a range of projects, from regional to local scales. This easy to use, interactive mapping application does not require any GIS skills to use and provides ready access to 536 map layers likegreen space per capita, mammal species richness or percent developed area and multiple analysis tools. EPA uses this tool for uses like project implementation (e.g. permitting) and designing targeted outreach strategies, but the site includes a repository of diverse ways this tool can be used in advancing all types of environmental work. 

This resource hub includes several links that EPA has backed to help communities implement green stormwater infrastructure projects. These include links to maps, a green infrastructure scorecard tool, planning/design/and implementation tools and guidbeooks, links to funding opportunities, links to climate modeling tools, collaboration guides/support, and a library of resources specific to implementing green stormwater infrastructure to meet Clean Water Act requirements.

How's My Waterway was designed to provide the general public with information about the condition of their local waters based on data that states, federal, tribal, local agencies and others have provided to EPA. Water quality information is displayed on 3 scales in How’s My Waterway; community, state and national. 

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Tool to assess the probability of erosion after a prescribed burn in sagebrush ecosystems, based on climate, soil, vegetation, slope, and fire characteristics.

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This report contains a literature review that explores the development of a tool that guides the selection, configuration, and location of WRC.

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FEMA's geoplatform, including its geospatial resource center, facilitates information sharing between the federal government, NGOs, and the public. It includes geospatial data on hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and several other hazards that can be used for visualizing, siting, and exploring potential NBS implementation sites. 

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This guidebook serves as a roadmap for implementing each step FEMA has identified for building climate resilience with state, local, tribal and territorial partners. It includes tools, programs, and funding support supported/managed categorized by each step of the cycle to build resilience.

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This guide gives actionable information on how to manage invasive cheatgrass.

This guide provides a protocol for land managers to monitor, map, and inventory invasive species. This guide aids in collaborative management by providing information that can be shared across jurisdictions. Because it is an older resource, the technical mapping data may be outdated.

This resource explains the differences between constructed and existing firebreaks and how to use them for prescribed burns.

NBS Strategies:

The USGS Flood Inundation Mapping (FIM) Program helps communities protect lives and property by providing tools and information to help them understand their local flood risks and make cost-effective mitigation decisions. Its main purposes are to 1) Partner with local communities to assist with the development and validation of flood inundation map libraries and 2) Provide online access to flood inundation maps along with real-time streamflow data, flood forecasts, and potential loss estimates.

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Website with links to more than 20 resources relating to floodplain reconnection. These include handbooks on floodplain reconnection, using nature to mitigate flood damage, and floodplain planning strategies.

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This 2-day course, hosted by Florida Sea Grant, provides an in-depth dive into the design, permitting, implementation, monitoring, and maintenance of living shorelines for various types of property owners.

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