Authors: Jessica Balerna, Brendan Fisher, Masood Ali Khan, Scott Merrill, Molly Myers, Ruth Quainoo, Trisha Shrum, Rodrigo Soares, and Beverley Wemple
Title: Community perceptions and preferences for mitigating flood risk via nature-based solutions
Abstract: Flooding events are increasing in frequency and severity across the United States due to a combination of urban development, wetland and floodplain loss, and changing climates. Nature-based solutions (NbS), including reconnecting floodplains and restoring riparian wetlands, are effective at reducing flood risk and providing additional benefits like carbon storage, habitat support, and recreation. However, they are underutilized in most places in favor of hard infrastructure solutions like dams and levees. To increase the usage of NbS, numerous barriers need to be overcome such as gaps in knowledge about NbS. We conducted a nationally-representative public survey (n=844) and employed regression models to answer the following research questions:
- What are the public’s preferences and beliefs regarding NbS?
- Which populations are most knowledgeable about NbS?
And - What drives preference for NbS over hard infrastructure?
We found that over 40 % of participants do not know what effect NbS have on flood risk, think NbS have no impact, or think NbS increase flood risk indicating knowledge gaps that must be addressed. When asked about preferred investment into flood mitigation measures, most participants preferred a mix of investment into both NbS and hard infrastructure. However, participants that were more knowledgeable about NbS, as well as participants who self-identified as “very liberal” or “liberal” when describing their political views, preferred a greater investment in NbS. Further, participants with previous flood experience or who live in a FEMA-designated flood zone were more knowledgeable about NbS. Both vulnerability to flooding and access to NbS are unequally distributed across the United States. This research is a first step towards addressing these inequalities by providing insights into the educational barriers to implementing NbS, as well as into the populations that prefer or oppose NbS as the dominant strategy for mitigating flood risk.