In Naples, rising seas are already contributing to high-tide flooding that does not require a hurricane or even rainfall.

The city now has king-tide flooding in Naples Bay and concerns are that more will happen as sea levels rise.

But a mangrove forest slows down incoming flood waters. A sea wall can stop it. The Conservancy of Southwest Florida says Naples needs both.

Its plan stacks nature's living sea walls with the concrete kind to take the punch out of floodwater before it reaches a house.

“Nature-based forms of protection have been used by communities around Florida and around the globe to meet the challenges of a changing climate,” said Carrie Schuman, the conservancy’s expert on surviving worsening storms and flooding. “We’re excited to explore what those ideas might look like in Naples.”

The environmental nonprofit is providing its Flood Resilience Blueprint free to the public, with an aim on property owners, homeowner associations, and local officials who make decisions about how to protect or rebuild vulnerable coastal property.

The conservancy says the nature-based system can also filter runoff, provide wildlife habitat, and help preserve the natural shoreline.

Environmental reporting for WGCU is funded in part by VoLo Foundation, a nonprofit with a mission to accelerate change and global impact by supporting science-based climate solutions, enhancing education, and improving health.

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