Incorporating natural and nature-based features in your project

Tidal marshes, levees with transitional ecotone habitat, oyster reefs, mud flats, beaches, and hybrid green/gray infrastructure can provide shoreline protection along with ecological and other benefits.

All shoreline protection projects should evaluate the use of natural and nature-based features such as marsh vegetation, levees with transitional ecotone habitat, mudflats, beaches, and oyster reefs, and should incorporate these features to the greatest extent practicable. 

San Francisco Bay Plan Shoreline Protection Policy No. 5

What are natural and nature-based features? 

Natural and nature-based features add habitat attributes to manage flood risks, while also providing extra benefits like:

  • Increased habitat and biodiversity in the Bay
  • Improved water quality
  • Space for recreation
  • Carbon sequestration
  • Protection from shoreline erosion and storms

These features may occur naturally, or be engineered or restored to mimic natural conditions.

Terminology

“Natural and nature-based features” is an umbrella term for a variety of strategies and approaches you may have heard about, like: 

  • Nature-based solutions
  • Engineering with Nature
  • Living shorelines
  • Ecotone levees
  • Green infrastructure

Strong track record

Developers, local governments, homeowners, and others have been using these strategies in shoreline protection projects for several decades. They have a proven track record of performing as well as—if not better than—traditional approaches like seawalls and riprap. Incorporating these features can also reduce costs in the long run. 

Virtually any shoreline protection project can include natural and nature-based features. The options range from relatively simple to more complex. Depending on the site and your project goals, you may be able to use multiple strategies.

BCDC’s policies prioritize this approach

Some natural and nature-based features involve placing material, or “fill,” in the Bay to function correctly. BCDC’s laws and policies minimize Bay fill in many instances but encourage appropriate fill for projects that:

  • Restore habitat
  • Enhance habitat
  • Create habitat

Meet with us early if your project would involve placing large amounts of fill in the Bay. BCDC staff can help you design your project so that it is consistent with our policies.

Examples around the Bay

Living Seawall Project

The City and County of San Francisco installed textured tiles along the Embarcadero seawall as part of its Living Seawall Pilot Project. The tiles have created new habitat for a wide variety of seaweeds, crabs, shellfish, and other estuarine species.

Giant Marsh Living Shoreline

The East Bay Regional Park District incorporated multiple nature-based solutions into its Giant Marsh Living Shoreline project in the City of Richmond. Nearshore “baycrete” reefs made of sand, oyster shell, and cement will provide new habitat for native Olympia oysters and protect against sea level rise and erosion, and eelgrass bed plantings next to the reefs will create additional habitat for oysters and other aquatic species. The project also included tidal marsh and upland habitat restoration.

Crockett Cogeneration Seawall Repair

A power plant in Crockett, CA used ECOncrete blocks in the design of a revetment. The blocks have a specially designed textured surface that provides more habitat for native species than traditional riprap.

Palo Alto Horizontal Levee

The City of Palo Alto’s Horizontal Levee Pilot Project will incorporate a vegetated ecotone slope that will support freshwater plants to build organic soils and allow wetland habitat to migrate up slope with rising sea levels. This multi-benefit project will:

  • Restore critical habitat
  • Provide flood protection
  • Create space for plants to migrate upland as sea levels rise
  • Improve water quality
  • Provide public access to the shoreline

Resources 

The resources below provide background information and examples of alternatives for integrating natural and nature-based features into projects:

  • Engineering with Nature (EWN) (website) — The Army Corps of Engineers’ EWN network includes researchers, practitioners, collaborators, and other partners. Their website includes a variety of resources and cutting edge research on natural and nature-based alternatives. 
  • Understanding living shorelines (website) — NOAA Fisheries’ website explains living shorelines, the benefits they provide, and an overview of the steps involved in planning and creating them. It also explains the difference between “green infrastructure” and “gray infrastructure” and illustrates the range of shoreline protection options, from softer to harder techniques. 
  • Green Infrastructure Effectiveness Database (website) — NOAA Fisheries’ online database contains information about green infrastructure, which includes natural infrastructure and nature-based solutions. It includes research on the effectiveness of green infrastructure in reducing the impacts of coastal hazards (like flooding) and cost-benefit analyses of green infrastructure. 

Looking for more guidance?

The San Francisco Bay Restoration Regulatory Integration Team (BRRIT) provides more resources and tools on their website.