Natural and Nature-based Solutions – monitoring performance of coastal and riverine infrastructure
Scope:
Note: As requested by the responsible SDO, this NOI being reissued as the standard was in the initial stages of development for more than 12 months. An additional comment period of May 7 to May 29, 2024 (originally published on May 30, 2023).
This standard would provide a procedure, with requirements and guidance for effectively monitoring the performance of nature-based solutions for flood and erosion risk mitigation, applicable to both coastal and riverine features. The standard would define key monitoring metrics and parameters to guide and establish consistency for NbS performance assessments. Examples of parameters that could be included in the standard are as follows:
- Meteorology, hydrology, and hydraulic conditions (such as precipitation, wind speed, air temperature, water levels, flow speeds, sea states, ice)
- Geomorphology and sediment transport (topography, bathymetry, erosion rates, sediment grain size distribution)
- Sediment and water quality (turbidity, contaminants, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, organic matter, redox potential)
- Ecology (number, density, morphology, health and changes in local aquatic and terrestrial flora and fauna)
- Performance (number of damaging flood events, flood depths and velocities, flood damages incurred).
Project need:
Natural infrastructure is an underutilized option for combatting Canada’s rising flood costs. Natural infrastructure includes “nature-based” engineering solutions for coastal flood and erosion risk reduction, which take advantage of the inherent capabilities of natural features (such as beaches, wetlands, barrier islands, reefs, and headlands) to prevent or mitigate flooding and erosion. Although there are Canadian examples of nature-based solutions (NbS) for flood and erosion risk management that date back to the 1970s, they remain relatively underutilized today. Some of the key barriers to broader uptake of NbS include challenges in predicting performance of NbS in distinct and varied Canadian regional settings, a paucity of data demonstrating the performance and track record of NbS, and stakeholder perceptions that NbS are more uncertain or less effective than (hard engineering) alternatives. The benefits of national standardization and guidance would include mainstreaming of NbS principles, education of stakeholders and potential proponents on factors affecting the performance of NbS, and increased investor confidence in NbS projects. In particular, the development of a standardized monitoring and evaluation protocol for NbS is a crucial step towards facilitating wider adoption by helping demonstrate the benefits and effectiveness of NbS to the public and potential future project proponents, and enabling adaptive management.
Note: The information provided above was obtained by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) and is provided as part of a centralized, transparent notification system for new standards development. The system allows SCC-accredited Standards Development Organizations (SDOs), and members of the public, to be informed of new work in Canadian standards development, and allows SCC-accredited SDOs to identify and resolve potential duplication of standards and effort.
Individual SDOs are responsible for the content and accuracy of the information presented here. The text is presented in the language in which it was provided to SCC.