Economic Benefits of Investing in Nature-Based Coastal Resilience Projects
Understanding the value of coastal resilience investments
For over a decade, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) has supported coastal resilience projects that reduce risks from storms, flooding, and wave energy while enhancing habitat and ecosystem health. To better demonstrate the effectiveness of these investments and understand the return on investment across different interventions, NFWF engaged One Water Econ to quantify and monetize the full economic value of its coastal resilience portfolio, including projects funded through its National, Hurricane Sandy, and Emergency Coastal Resilience Grant Programs.
Ecosystem service benefit valuation of coastal resilience projects
One Water Econ analyzed more than 60 coastal resilience projects funded in part by NFWF grants to quantify, monetize, and describe the ecosystem service benefits generated by these investments. For each project, our economists assessed a broad range of community and environmental benefits—valuing those with available data and qualitatively evaluating others. This work resulted in a comprehensive database that helps NFWF guide future funding strategies and attract additional investment in coastal resilience.
To support outreach and stakeholder engagement, we collaborated with a graphic designer to develop accessible, visually compelling fact sheets for each project—communicating the value of these investments to key audiences.