What is Natural Resilience?

For the last 35 years, improving management of the “edge” environments where water and land meet has been one of the Virginia CZM Program’s priorities. 

Wetlands, beaches, dunes provide critical habitat and water quality protection. They are also the first line of defense against the more frequent and severe storms and flooding resulting from climate change. These “edge” environments help provide natural resilience. 

They also are affected by waterfront development.

Effects of Waterfront Development on Virginia's Shorelines

Waterfront development is an ever more common sight along the creeks and rivers of Virginia’s coastal zone. Waterfront property is expensive, so one of the first actions new property-owners typically consider is stabilizing their shoreline to prevent erosion and their investment.

Unfortunately, many landowners have chosen to harden their shoreline with large rocks, called a “riprap revetment”, or with a wood or vinyl wall, known as a “seawall” or “bulkhead”. These practices can have detrimental effects on habitats and water quality due to the loss of trees and shrubs, wetlands, beaches, banks, and underwater grass beds. Hardened shoreline can also cause increased erosion on nearby properties.

Living Shorelines – A Natural Way to Build Coastal Resilience

The Virginia CZM Program has been working for years to improve shoreline management practices, promote the use of living shorelines, and help build coastal resilience. 

Living Shorelines are an alternative to shoreline hardening techniques. They protect waterfront property from erosion, they also provide habitat for fish, birds and other wildlife and protect water quality by trapping excess nutrients and sediment. 

Virginia CZM Program
Natural Resilience Grant Projects

Any Project Names that are linked in the table below will take you to the Project List for that fiscal year.  Open the Task Number at the bottom of the page to find more information on the corresponding project.  For a project description and results of other projects, please contact April.Bahen@deq.virginia.gov or Virginia.Witmer@deq.virginia.gov.

Grantee Grant Year Task Project
Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve - Virginia 2020 73 Advancing Resiliency in Virginia’s Coastal Zone by Supporting Climate-Adaptive Nearshore Natural & Nature-Based Restoration Projects – Phase 1: York River, Piankatank River & Mobjack Bay
Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission 2022 73 Integrated Shoreline Plan with White Paper & Pilot (Year 2)
2021 73 Integrated Shoreline Plan with White Paper & Pilot (Year 1)
Virginia Institute of Marine Science 2022 71 Conservation Targeting for Resilience (Year 3)
2021 71 Conservation Targeting for Resilience (Year 2)
2020 71 Conservation Targeting for Resilience (Year 1)
2019 81


    		 Expanding the use of natural and nature-based infrastructure to enhance coastal resiliency (Year 3)
2019 82 Living Shoreline Sea Level Resiliency: Performance and Adaptive Management of Existing Sites (Year 3)
2018 81 Expanding the use of natural and nature-based infrastructure to enhance coastal resiliency (Year 2)
2018 82 Living Shoreline Sea Level Resiliency: Performance and Adaptive Management of Existing Sites (Year 2)
2017 81 Expanding the use of natural and nature-based infrastructure to enhance coastal resiliency (Year 1)
2017 82 Living Shoreline Sea Level Resiliency: Performance and Adaptive Management of Existing Sites (Year 1)
2017 92.01 Coastal Resiliency and Shoreline Management - Adaptive Management for Resilient Communities
2017 92.02 Targeted Living Shorelines for Virginia State Parks