News
Natural Infrastructure Reduces Vulnerability to Floods

In the United States where a large proportion of the population is vulnerable to flooding, better management of floodplains is being viewed as a way to mitigate flood damage to property and infrastructure. Floodplains help reduce flooding by storing and spreading floodwaters, and can complement engineered structures likes dams and levees. Read the full article here.

 

Two hundred years ago, the streets of lower Manhattan were lined with “oyster cellars”. Experts say that if waters surrounding Manhattan still retained these oyster reefs when Hurricane Sandy struck in 2012, the damage to properties might not have been so severe. They call for restoring oyster reefs to better protect coastlines from future storms and climate change impacts. To see the full article, click here.
 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reports that more than 25 million Americans were affected by major disasters in 2017. Increasing the amount of rainwater that infiltrates into the ground across the landscape ultimately decreases soil erosion and flooding. Read the full article here.
 

This new publication puts the spotlight on coastal ecosystems as natural coastal defenses against storms which result in flooding and shoreline erosion. Read the full article here.

Project Insights
New Center for Resilient Cities and Landscapes

The Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation is establishing the Center for Resilient Cities and Landscapes which will partner with 100 Resilient Cities. By working with natural and man-made infrastructure, the Center’s principal goal will be to integrate resilience thinking into infrastructure design and enable communities adapt to challenges of climate change. Read the full article here.

Communities in the High Atlas Tifnot Valley of Morocco are applying eco-based disaster risk reduction to combat the effects of climate change. Tree planting and land management have been used to reduce erosion in the valley, and forest regeneration has been successful. The community is also working to protect their irrigation systems from increasingly frequent storms. Read more here.

Call for Applications
Funded PhD or MS Research Assistantship available at the University of Montana

The University of Montana in the United States is seeking applicants for a unique opportunity to pursue a PhD or MS degree that intersects hydroeconomic modeling and public policy research. This project’s objective is to use satellite data to design and implement a decision support tool for water managers and policy makers. Interested applicants should send a single PDF containing a cover letter, CV, unofficial transcripts, and the contact information of three references to Dr. Brian Chaffin (brian.chaffin@umontana.edu) for immediate consideration. 

Don't Miss it! 
MOOC on Disasters and Ecosystems - Final Run this Month

Although the Expert Track has ended, UN Environment's Leadership Track will continue to run until 17 March 2018. Sign up! To learn more,  click here