Aligning Natural Resource Conservation and Flood Hazard Mitigation in California
This study examines how aligning flood hazard mitigation with natural resource conservation in coastal California can reduce flood risks and support restoration. It identifies areas suitable for buyouts and habitat restoration, showing how integrated strategies can deliver environmental, social, and economic benefits.
Subject Tags
- Climate resilience
- Coastal
- Climate adaptation
Abstract
Flooding is the most common and damaging of all natural disasters in the United States, and was a factor in almost all declared disasters in U.S. history. Direct flood losses in the U.S. in 2011 totaled $8.41 billion and flood damage has also been on the rise globally over the past century. The National Flood Insurance Program paid out more than $38 billion in claims since its inception in 1968, more than a third of which has gone to the one percent of policies that experienced multiple losses and are classified as “repetitive loss.” During the same period, the loss of coastal wetlands and other natural habitat has continued, and funds for conservation and restoration of these habitats are very limited. This study demonstrates that flood losses could be mitigated through action that meets both flood risk reduction and conservation objectives. We found that there are at least 11,243km2 of land in coastal California, which is both flood-prone and has natural resource conservation value, and where a property/structure buyout and habitat restoration project could meet multiple objectives. For example, our results show that in Sonoma County, the extent of land that meets these criteria is 564km2. Further, we explore flood mitigation grant programs that can be a significant source of funds to such projects. We demonstrate that government funded buyouts followed by restoration of targeted lands can support social, environmental, and economic objectives: reduction of flood exposure, restoration of natural resources, and efficient use of limited governmental funds.
Citation
Calil, J., Beck, M. W., Gleason, M., Merrifield, M., Klausmeyer, K., & Newkirk, S. (2015). Aligning natural resource conservation and flood hazard mitigation in California. PLoS One, 10(7), e0132651.
TNC Authors
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Kirk Klausmeyer
Director of Data Science
The Nature Conservancy
Email: kklausmeyer@tnc.org -
Michael W. Beck
The Nature Conservancy -
Mary Gleason
The Nature Conservancy -
Matthew Merrifield
Sarah Newkirk
The Nature Conservancy