Natural infrastructure involves leveraging natural systems and processes to provide services that benefit people and the environment. This approach strategically uses, restores, and conserves natural landscapes to address societal needs. It is a nature-based solution that utilizes ecosystems to deliver beneficial outcomes.
Defining Natural Infrastructure
Natural infrastructure uses existing or restored natural systems, such as wetlands, forests, or coastal dunes, to provide essential services. These systems work with nature to achieve resilience, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness. It focuses on the protection, restoration, improved management, or creation of natural and semi-natural ecosystems to function like traditional human-built infrastructure. This concept treats ecosystems as valuable assets, providing services that support human well-being and environmental health.
Varieties of Natural Infrastructure
Different types of natural infrastructure offer distinct benefits. Wetlands, for example, filter polluted runoff and store millions of gallons of floodwater, buffering communities from extreme storm events. Forests and urban green spaces improve air quality by absorbing pollutants and help reduce urban heat island effects through shade and evapotranspiration. Coastal dunes and reefs provide protection against storm surges and erosion by absorbing wave action. Rivers and their floodplains manage excess water, reduce downstream flooding, and purify water by filtering pollutants.
How Natural Infrastructure Benefits Us
Natural infrastructure provides a wide range of benefits, often termed ecosystem services. These systems contribute to disaster risk reduction by mitigating floods and protecting against storm surges. For instance, an acre of wetlands can hold over a million gallons of floodwater, and coastal wetlands provide billions of dollars in storm protection annually. These natural features can intercept, soak up, store, or slow down water, reducing peak flows and water levels.
It also improves water quality and supply. Soils, plants, and microbes in these systems filter and break down pollutants, enhancing the quality of stormwater, wastewater, and drinking water. Wetlands, for example, filter excess nutrients that can lead to harmful algae blooms, and they store water, which helps protect against drought. Vegetation improves air quality by absorbing pollutants like carbon dioxide and particulate matter.
These natural systems support biodiversity by providing homes for wildlife, contributing to ecosystem health. Forests, wetlands, and other natural areas sequester carbon, playing a role in climate change mitigation. They offer adaptation benefits, such as cooling urban areas and stabilizing landscapes against extreme weather. Natural infrastructure enhances recreational opportunities and the aesthetic value of landscapes, promoting well-being and quality of life.
Natural Versus Gray Infrastructure
Comparing natural infrastructure with traditional “gray” infrastructure, like concrete levees or pipes, natural infrastructure is often more cost-effective over the long term due to lower maintenance needs and its ability to self-repair and adapt. For example, a storm drainage system retrofit project in Los Angeles using green infrastructure was estimated to cost significantly less than a traditional gray infrastructure plan.
Natural infrastructure offers multifunctionality, providing multiple co-benefits beyond a single purpose. A wetland, for instance, can offer flood control, water purification, and wildlife habitat simultaneously, whereas a concrete wall primarily serves only flood control. These natural systems demonstrate greater resilience and adaptability to changing environmental conditions, such as sea-level rise, unlike static gray structures. Natural infrastructure is environmentally sustainable, reducing ecological footprints. Natural and gray infrastructure can often complement each other, forming comprehensive solutions.
Applying Natural Infrastructure
Natural infrastructure concepts are put into practice through various applications. Restoration projects involve rebuilding degraded ecosystems, such as reforesting areas or restoring wetlands. Conservation efforts focus on protecting existing natural assets and the services they provide.
Integrated planning incorporates natural solutions into urban development and broader land management strategies. This includes designing green spaces, permeable surfaces, and bioswales within cities to manage stormwater and improve environmental quality.