By Sharon Ryan
Coastal resilience depends on solutions that work in the real world and can scale to meet growing challenges, Chris Shepard, Ph.D., director of science for The Nature Conservancy’s Oceans and Coasts program, told attendees at the UF Center for Coastal Solutions Annual Summit on December 12, 2025.
Shepard highlighted the Scaling Up Nature-Based Solutions (SUNS) program, which spans Bay, Gulf and Franklin counties in the Florida Panhandle, as a model for moving nature-based solutions, or NBS, from planning to implementation. The program launched in the Panhandle in 2021 and has expanded to new regions, with SUNS Perdido starting in 2025, and SUNS Gulfport, Mississippi and SUNS Nueces, Texas beginning this year.
NBS are actions that protect, conserve, restore and sustainably manage natural or modified ecosystems to address social, economic and environmental challenges while supporting human well-being, resilience and biodiversity.
“Nature-based solutions are not just environmental projects — they’re investments in community resilience,” Shepard said, framing NBS as multi-benefit strategies that strengthen both coastal ecosystems and the communities that depend on them. “SUNS has a goal to support the implementation of 500 nature-based solutions projects across the Gulf coast by 2035.”
Research underscores their value. Shepard cited studies showing mangroves reduced storm damages significantly during major hurricanes in Florida. During Hurricane Irma in 2017, mangroves cut damages by an estimated $725 million, or 14%. During Hurricane Ian in 2022, they reduced damages by about $4 billion, or 30%.
“Healthy ecosystems can function like protective infrastructure, reducing risk while also supporting fisheries, habitat and local economies,” Shepard said. “SUNS has a goal to support the implementation of 500 nature-based solutions projects across the Gulf coast by 2035.”
Scaling NBS requires more than science. Shepard emphasized the importance of using clear visuals and accessible language to communicate potential outcomes and align solutions with community needs. She encouraged seeking efficiencies in permitting and planning, and identifying opportunities to expand initiatives across multiple sites, as demonstrated by the SUNS program.
To put these ideas into action, Shepard identified three practical strategies for resilient coasts: use simplified maps to identify nature-based solutions opportunities, design for efficiency and scale, and envision the future coast. This approach includes multi-site planning, phased “bigger is better” projects, and tools such as master service agreements to streamline engineering and design while planning for sea level rise, development pressure and shifting coastal habitats.