Partnering with California’s longstanding native tribes and restoring stewardship can bolster solutions to today’s climate challenges. We spoke to Geneva EB Thompson, Deputy Secretary for Tribal Affairs, who explained how traditional ecological knowledge can reduce risks of natural disasters while promoting biodiversity and carbon sequestration.
Nature-based solutions to climate change, such as “Resilience Hotspots,” can enhance climate resilience by restoring and maintaining pockets of nature, such as wetlands and urban green spaces, to counteract storm surges and urban heat islands. Integrating these natural defenses into urban planning, while emphasizing community equity, not only mitigates climate impacts but also promotes climate justice.
Wetlands, especially coastal salt marshes, provide crucial ecosystem services including biodiversity preservation, water regulation, carbon storage, and climate regulation. Human activities have degraded many of these ecosystems, but restoration projects, such as those at Cape Cod National Seashore, aim to rejuvenate affected marshes and restore their vital functions.