Climate-Related Hazards

The Lightning Point Restoration Project focuses on protecting Bayou La Batre, one of the Gulf Coast’s few remaining working waterfronts. The community relies on fishing and seafood industries but faces increasing hazards from shoreline erosion, storm surge, hurricanes, and tropical storms. Past events such as Hurricane Katrina (2005) and oil spill (2010) caused major damage to infrastructure and livelihoods, highlighting the need for greater coastal resilience
Led by The Nature Conservancy and partners, the project combines engineered and natural approaches to safeguard the shoreline while supporting local livelihoods. Core activities include constructing approximately 1–1.5 miles of segmented breakwaters and jetties at the mouth of the Bayou La Batre River, and creating about 28–40 acres of coastal marsh, tidal creeks, and upland habitats using beneficially reused dredged material. Native planting and long-term monitoring support habitat performance and adaptive management.
These solutions aim to reduce wave energy, limit erosion, buffer storm surge, and maintain navigation, while restored marshes provide habitat for fish, shellfish, and birds. Designed to withstand nearly one foot of projected sea-level rise over the next 25 years, the project enhances shoreline protection, restores critical coastal habitats, and helps secure a resilient waterfront for Bayou La Batre’s economy and community (Ref. 1 - 4).

Bayou La Batre, also known as the seafood capital of Alabama, has been facing severe flooding problems, including the occurence of combined sewerage overflows. The Nature Conservancy has secured funding to install a green stormwater project in Bayou La Batre, adjacent to the library, sports fields and the community center. Alongside the aim of the green stormwater project to decrease flooding events in the community by infiltrating water, it also serves as an education and engagement project [1]

Located southeast of Bayou La Batre, Coffee Island is a barrier island that provides a buffering capacity for shorelines in Mobile County [5]. Since 1950, the shoreline on the island has been eroding. In response, the Nature Conservancy has put in a ‘’living shoreline’’ construction in 2010 to reduce wave energy and decrease erosion the island has been facing [1]. A ‘’living shoreline’’, ‘’refers to the use of nature-based techniques and materials such as oyster shells, reef blocks, bagged shells, live shellfish, and plants to help protect eroding shorelines’’ [2]. While the living shorelines constructed in 2010 still provide habitat benefits, these efforts no longer protect the shoreline from erosion. This in turn threatens not only the island's buffering capacity, but also the integrity of the marsh on the island [5]. Therefore, the Nature Conservancy has secured funding for a second project on the island, the Coffee Island Restoration project (in 2023) that aims to implement a (longer) 5,000-foot living shoreline breakwater, including the use of ‘’super sacks’’ – a specific kind of sediment barriers functioning as dikes – to protect the coastline while enhancing habitat [4, 6]

The creation of the AGOA Sanctuary was first envisioned in 2006, officially established in 2010, and continues to evolve as a vital initiative for marine conservation. Located in the waters of the French Antilles, the sanctuary encompasses the entire Exclusive Economic Zone of Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint-Martin, and Saint-Barthélemy. Spanning 143,256 square kilometers, it is the second-largest marine protected area in France, just behind the Coral Sea Natural Park in New Caledonia.
AGOA was established to ensure a favorable conservation status for marine mammals, aiming to protect both the species and their habitats through a combination of direct and indirect actions. The sanctuary’s long-term strategy is grounded in five core principles: reducing harmful interactions between human activities and marine mammals; enhancing scientific understanding of these species, their habitats, and the pressures they face; increasing public awareness and disseminating knowledge about the sanctuary; strengthening collaboration with governmental agencies for effective surveillance and enforcement; and fostering regional cooperation with Caribbean nations under the Cartagena Convention and its SPAW Protocol.
Together, these guiding principles reflect AGOA’s commitment to sustainable stewardship of marine biodiversity in the French Antilles, creating a lasting sanctuary for marine mammals in the Caribbean. (1, 2, 3)

The Ecological & Citizen Restoration Project in Carbet, led by ASSOMER, supports the city in sustainably developing its coastline. This coastal area serves multiple purposes—recreational, economic, and subsistence—making it essential to include the voices of its key user communities: fishermen, restaurateurs, residents, and tourists.
However, both these uses and critical spawning habitats are increasingly threatened by coastal erosion, which is worsened by urbanization. Beyond reducing nesting areas, urban expansion also creates light pollution, which disrupts nesting females and hatchlings that rely on moonlight reflections to navigate.
This project was selected during the inaugural Biodiversity Lottery, a French government initiative inspired by the Heritage Lotto (established in 2018). The funds will be dedicated to protecting Carbet’s turtle population. Key efforts include reforesting the beach to combat erosion and creating new nesting spaces for turtles.
By restoring vegetation in a way that addresses multiple environmental challenges, this initiative aims to raise public awareness and ensure long-term coastal preservation. (1,2)

In 2012, PRZHT (Pôles Relais Zones Humides Tropicales) initiated Project REMA, an effort dedicated to the conservation and rehabilitation of ponds in the Antilles, with backing from the IUCN. Wetland ecosystems in Martinique and the Caribbean had long been overlooked. However, interest in these habitats grew after PRZHT introduced an interactive virtual tour of Antilles ponds in 2019. Project REMA emerged in response to local concerns about the lack of technical resources for pond restoration in the French West Indies. While similar initiatives had been undertaken in France, there was no specific guide tailored to this region. Though originally conceived in 2012, the project remained dormant for several years before fully launching in 2019. Between 2019 and 2021, restoration experiments were conducted on 12 ponds across Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Saint-Martin, laying the groundwork for a comprehensive technical manual.
Building on this success, REMA II was introduced in January 2024 with a three-year scope. This new phase will focus on restoring and maintaining 80 ponds, both public and private, in Martinique and Guadeloupe. Additionally, it will address the management of invasive species and incorporate eDNA analysis to enhance conservation efforts. These small wetlands play a fundamental role in flood regulation, water storage, pollutant filtration, erosion control, and carbon absorption. They also provide refuges for biodiversity and contribute to the resilience of territories in the face of climate change.
(1, 2, 3)

The Liberties is one of the most recognizable urban areas in Dublin and Ireland, strongly associated with old Dublin, working-class communities, and the brewing and distilling industries. While rich in history, cultural significance, and local stories, The Liberties faces numerous placemaking and quality-of-life challenges. The area continues to experience significant dereliction, a fragmented urban fabric, and a shortage of high-quality green spaces. For instance, tree coverage in The Liberties is sparse, with good-quality street trees only found in a few small areas, such as Gray St. and Reginald St., along the South Quays, Cornmarket, and near the fountain on James St. The area has approximately 1,200 trees, amounting to less than 5% canopy coverage.
In response to these challenges, Dublin City Council enacted The Liberties Greening Strategy in 2015. Building on the Liberties' Local Area Plan, this strategy aims to develop a network of new urban parks, improve access to heritage green spaces, and refurbish existing parks and play areas. It addresses multiple goals, including ecological connectivity, water management, flood risk reduction, air quality improvement, social cohesion, environmental education, and public health. This strategy is an initiative of the Parks and Landscape Services Division of Dublin City Council, in collaboration with the South Central Area Office and with input from Áit Urbanism + Landscape and Mary Tubridy & Associates.
Since its implementation in 2015, the strategy has resulted in the development of two new community parks, enhancements to several green spaces, and the greening of public spaces. It has also introduced measures to support food production in community gardens and allotments, revitalize ecosystems, strengthen water management, improve air quality, boost carbon sequestration through tree planting, divert water from the local sewer network, prevent flooding, and regulate heat. (1, 2, 3)

Pollution from roadways is often carried by rainwater into gullies, which then direct this runoff to the nearest watercourse, ultimately polluting local rivers and degrading water quality (1). To address this issue, Dublin City Council is exploring potential green infrastructure solutions to reduce roadway pollution in rivers, focusing on nine pilot sites within the Dodder catchment area (1). Green infrastructure has the advantage of treating pollutants before they enter rivers or watercourses, which can significantly improve water quality in the area (1).
In addition to enhancing water quality, green infrastructure helps manage flood risks by slowing water flow to rivers, which can lessen the frequency and severity of flood events (1). These green spaces also foster biodiversity, creating more pleasant and ecologically supportive environments for the community (1). As an added benefit, green infrastructure serves as an important climate change adaptation strategy (1).
Upon completion of these pilots, Dublin City Council plans to expand successful methods to other locations across the city and potentially further afield (1). The project will involve creating new green spaces, enhancing existing ones, and transforming certain hard surfaces, all of which will contribute to protecting the Dodder and Santry rivers. By treating roadway runoff before it reaches the rivers, the initiative will also offer valuable benefits to the local community (2).
The proposed changes will be designed to support health and well-being, provide informal play areas, attract desirable wildlife, reduce flood risks, and help urban areas adapt to the impacts of climate change (2). The Council also plans to monitor the performance of these green infrastructure measures to assess their effectiveness in filtering pollutants from roadway runoff (1).

HortaFCUL is a project created and managed by the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Lisbon to raise awareness and promote the practice of permaculture as a solution to the ecological, social, and economic problems the world is facing (1). This initiative began in 2009 on the University campus through a garden, which allowed HortaFCUL to start conducting some activities that could answer some socio-environmental challenges, such as food security and sovereignty, ecosystem degradation and climate change (13), by raising awareness, teaching, and practising many aspects involved in permaculture and urban agriculture (2). Its focus has been on regenerating soil in an urban environment and creating productive landscapes for people and other beings (12). They grow different types of plants (vegetables, shrubs, trees) in different ways (swales, raised beds, greenhouses) to increase plant diversity and foster ecosystems (13).
The project is managed by students and researchers, who hold educational activities, such as courses, workshops, and dissemination activities (events, discussions, fairs, and conferences) (2). The project is organised according to a non-hierarchical sociocratic model, in which all decisions are made as a group, and where all ideas, critiques, and suggestions are seen as added value and an opportunity to improve techniques and knowledge (3). Additionally, it is open to the community, allowing anyone interested to participate and volunteer (1).
HortaFCUL is also one of the pioneering permaculture projects in operation in the Lisbon region and is now recognized as a national reference centre for permaculture (2). Since its inception, HortaFCUL has sought to be a hub that attracts people, organizations, and other initiatives, and it is currently a point of contact between different projects and associations, such as local businesses, educational institutions, and networks (5).

The financial capital of Sri Lanka, Colombo, is the fastest-growing city in Sri Lanka, and as such, it is constantly changing. Most expansions in urban areas are taking place without proper planning, which can cause damage to existing pockets of forests, landscapes and green areas in and around the city (1). The environmental impacts of this rapid urbanisation include increased pollution, increased heat due to the expansion of roads/pavements, tall structures that block out light and wind and reduced biodiversity in fauna and flora (1).
To face these challenges, the Federation of Environmental Organisations (FEO) proposed a city-wide Tree Planting Campaign to create an Urban Forest Strategy in public and private lands in the greater Colombo area (1). The plan is to kick-start the program at the Borella Cemetery as it has a large land area available for planting, specifically 178062 sq meters (3). The project started to be implemented in July 2020 with the seasonal rains (1). This project aims to grow urban trees to help mitigate some of the negative impacts of unplanned and rapid urbanisation, thus making the city more resilient to these changes (1).
The trees that will be planted will be mostly native species and also exotic plants will be selected based on specific requirements (1, 3). It is also planned to have flowering plants and shrubs to encourage butterflies, bees and birds to interspace the trees (1). The new parking space near the Borella Cemetery will also be planted with deep root shading trees interspaced with flowering plants (1).
The project aimed to include a large number of stakeholders including the government, the private sector and the residents of Colombo (1). And they have also reached schools in Colombo and hope to involve environmental associations to further the cause (3).