Get to know N-EWN
A community of researchers, practitioners, and educators working together to advance the practice of natural infrastructure.
We work across four main branches
In order to help facilitate the widespread adoption of natural infrastructure practices across the United States, we’ve identified four main areas that need additional work:
Developing methods and standards
New tools, techniques and guidance are needed to effectively plan, design, construct and operate natural infrastructure at different scales
Assessing benefits and costs
Natural infrastructure provides communities with a broad array of economic, environmental and social benefits. Improved approaches are needed to evaluate, quantify and forecast these benefits to support planning and decision making
Monitoring performance and outcomes
Technically sound, efficient and applicable methods are needed to track natural infrastructure performance over time, develop the evidence base for future designs, ensure compliance with policy and inform project operations and adaptive management
Integrating people and policy
Providing infrastructure that supports human wellbeing and equitably meets the needs of diverse communities requires integration of human values, attitudes, beliefs, perceptions and policies with modern communication and collaboration practices
Combining a diversity of on-the-ground experience with interdisciplinary teams.
The N-EWN community is made up of over 30 partners from industry, academia and the non-profit sector.
What N-EWN’s been up to:
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U.S. Department of the Interior, Duke University Launch Digital Nature-Based Solutions Roadmap
Originally published here by the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability. [On November 19, 2024] the United States Department of the Interior launched a digital Nature-Based Solutions Roadmap, developed in partnership with the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability at Duke University. This free public resource will serve as a user-friendly and accessible guide…
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November 2024 Partner Podcast Roundup: Protecting Ecosystems, From Backyards to Great Lakes
Resilient Futures Podcast University of Georgia Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems Big, leafy shade trees, burbling creeks, and access to recreation in beautiful natural areas: most people intuitively know that these kinds of natural amenities create pleasant communities, and houses located close to these kinds of resources tend to sell for more than those without.…
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Nature at Work: Salt Marshes and Sparrows
Salt marshes are coastal wetlands that are flooded and drained by tides. These ecosystems occur along temperate shorelines worldwide. Tidal inundation occurs every twelve hours, flooding the habitat with higher tides around the new and full moons every two weeks. These intertidal habitats are an essential space for healthy wildlife communities, including some species that…
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