Coastal Resilience Assets: Unlocking Innovative Finance

Introduction

This fact sheet describes Coastal Resilience Assets, an innovative financing approach designed to quantify and monetize the flood risk reduction benefits provided by coastal wetlands such as mangroves and tidal marshes. Developed through the SDVISta Coastal Resilience Methodology and supported by partnerships with organizations including Verra, TerraCarbon, and UC Santa Cruz, the framework measures how natural ecosystems reduce flood damage and enhance community resilience. The methodology uses either publicly available datasets or locally specific spatial models to estimate flood protection benefits across different storm conditions. These quantified resilience benefits can be issued as Coastal Resilience Assets and sold independently or combined with blue carbon offsets, creating new revenue streams for restoration and conservation projects. By connecting ecosystem protection with measurable resilience outcomes, the approach helps governments, investors, insurers, businesses, and communities support climate adaptation, reduce flood risk, and expand financing for nature-based solutions at scale.