Canada Impact+ Research Chair Candidate Seminar

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 14:30:00 GMT

Speaker: Dr. Ian Walker, Professor, Department of Geography, University of California Santa Barbara

Title: Coastal Dunes as a Nature-based Solution for Coastal Resilience, Adaptation and Protection

Abstract: Globally, many sandy beaches and the immense economic and ecological benefits they provide, are experiencing accelerating impacts of climate change, including intensified storms, El Niño events, increased flooding, and sea-level rise (SLR). In response, coastal communities face increasing hazards and risks and coastal managers seek cost-effective solutions and effective adaptation strategies to protect critical infrastructure and/or preserve coastal ecosystems and habitats against flooding and erosion impacts. Coastal dunes provide natural protection against storm surges, wave erosion, and coastal flooding and are being restored or engineered increasingly as nature-based solution to mitigate coastal hazards and improve resilience to SLR. Dune restoration projects are being implemented increasingly, often with limited understanding of beach-dune interaction and essential ecogeomorphic processes. Technical guidance and best practices are generally lacking or poorly informed (e.g., living shorelines based on modified sand dyke designs vs. functional dune forms), as are monitoring protocols and project performance assessment frameworks needed to inform adaptive management. Though generally less costly than 'hard' engineered approaches (e.g., seawalls), if implemented improperly or in unsuitable locations, dune NbS projects are at risk of failure, which could result in additional hazards, negative public perceptions, and reduced buy-in from coastal managers for future projects.

This talk reviews recent research on how coastal dune ecosystems have changed in California since the mid-1800s, examines their vulnerabilities to ongoing erosion and future SLR impacts, and evaluates ongoing dune restoration efforts and related monitoring activities. Insights on restoration methods, motivations, opportunities, and constraints are derived from a network of 29 active restoration sites and reports from over 100 projects that span the geographic range and management settings of the California coast. Results were verified using regional community workshops facilitated with project collaborators and with a broader network of 400+ members of the California Coastal Dune Science Network (CDSN). These results inform development of new frameworks to conceptualize site suitability, project performance, and monitoring needs for dune restoration as a NbS to improve coastal resilience. Related knowledge translation and mobilization efforts with state coastal management agencies are now informing co-development of state-wide guidance and best-practice guidelines for effective design, management, and nature-based adaptation strategy development to enhance resilience of sandy coastal ecosystems state-wide.

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Canada Impact+ Research Chair Candidate Seminar