UWI researchers secured a grant of US$300,000 from Future Earth, a global network of scientists, researchers and innovators, to conduct research into designing sustainable nature-based coastal solutions. Research will take place in Trinidad and Tobago, the USA, Barbados and Jamaica.

Traditional hard engineering coastal structures like seawalls, dikes and breakwaters can be valuable for mitigating coastal hazards but are often not adaptable to climate changes, can harm the environment, negatively impact cultural and socio-economic aspects of communities, lack aesthetic appeal especially in the context of tourism, and require maintenance.

The project, entitled “Engineering the Design of Nature- Based Solutions for Sustainable Development”, seeks nature- based solutions to mitigate several of these challenges and which would be economically viable and adaptable specifically for Caribbean SIDS.

Work will include generating comprehensive datasets from physical and numerical modelling of beach vegetation, coral reefs and mangrove systems; collating and processing wave, current, water level and wind data; and simulating existing and projected hydrodynamics in coastal areas. The data will be transformed into meaningful knowledge that can be used by stakeholders involved in co-designing coastal solutions and related decision-making.

Funding covers the period from May 2023 to April 2025.