Millions of people live in communities at high risk of flood, fire, drought, and other climate-related extreme events that affect their health and well-being. People and nature are reliant on each other, and adaptation and resilience efforts should reflect this relationship. Nature supports communities, economies, and infrastructure in facing climate change while people play a vital role in restoring, managing, and protecting nature. 

Through meaningful partner engagement and scientific modeling and mapping, we have the ability to prioritize areas most at risk—and most crucial for building resilience. We can then work with a diverse set of constituents to mitigate these risks through a set of holistic solutions that integrate the value of nature and prioritize the restoration and conservation of high-value ecosystems, like wetlands, forests, and coastal systems, to help communities survive shocks and thrive over time. 
This session will highlight how holistic decision-making that incorporates nature can serve as a foundation for effective and resilient landscape planning, funding, and policy. We’ll explore how forest restoration, integrated watershed management, and resilient livelihood strategies can combine with climate-smart infrastructure planning to manage trade-offs and increase positive outcomes. We’ll also examine the benefits of working across sectors to enhance resilience for people, businesses, and nature. 

We will bring examples that leverage scientific rigor, innovative technologies, corporate leadership, and financial mechanisms to demonstrate how nature-based solutions and collaboration can combine to deliver real progress in building resilience for people and nature. Panelists will share their stories about what’s needed to implement nature-based solutions crucial for building resilience—for communities facing health impacts from climate change, corporations managing risk, and insurance companies protecting investments.