Human Nature spotlights solutions protecting water and strengthening local economies, from Arkansas Delta wetlands to Iowa farm fields and Mexican fishing communities
Nature-based solutions help people meet the challenges of climate change while also building long-term resilience. From the Alluvial Valley in Mississippi to Helper City, Utah, to the Gulf of Mexico, people are working with nature and finding ways to grow together. These case studies are also calls to action. They show what is possible when people work with nature to create change in communities.
New research from the Walton Family Foundation and Gallup shows that extreme weather strains the community conditions, including jobs, housing, trusted neighbors and natural spaces, that help people build better futures
New research from the Walton Family Foundation and Gallup finds that extreme weather is straining the community conditions that help people build better futures, including jobs, housing, trusted neighbors and natural spaces.
From the smallest streams to the vast ocean, water connects us all. Healthy rivers, lakes and wetlands sustain wildlife, strengthen communities, create economic opportunity and help protect people from a changing climate. By investing in nature-based solutions to care for these vital places, we can build more resilient communities, create jobs and help protect our neighborhoods. When nature thrives, so do we.
For decades, the Price River ran through Helper City, Utah, but the community had largely lost access to it. Working together, residents and partners like Trout Unlimited used nature-based solutions to help restore the river.
In the Mississippi Alluvial Valley, land is more than a place to farm. It can be a livelihood, a family legacy and a connection to the natural world. Through nature-based solutions like restoring wetlands and replanting native forests, local partners are helping landowners conserve frequently flooded farmland while keeping their land in the family.
For generations, fishing communities on Mexico’s Baja Peninsula have depended on the sea for their livelihoods and way of life. But as once-abundant fish populations declined, local fishers came together to give the ocean time and space to recover. Through nature-based solutions like fish refuges, communities are protecting critical areas from fishing while helping monitor the health of local fisheries.
The work to restore the Colorado River starts where the river begins. In a fire-scarred valley at its headwaters, a dedicated team is using nature-based solutions to bring lost wetlands back and rebuild resilience — helping restore the place that sustains the West.
Across Iowa, farmers are rediscovering an old idea: keeping living roots in the ground for more of the year. Nature-based solutions like relay cropping can help soil hold more water, reduce erosion and lower flood risk for communities downstream. Now, farmers and researchers are gathering new data on these benefits — while passing generations of knowledge on to the farmers who will carry the work forward.
