As New Mexico faces a rise in natural disasters, a new report details how nature-based solutions can provide public safety, economic and environmental benefits to communities across the state.

Authored by Rio Grande Return and Spatial Informatics Group–Natural Assets Laboratory (SIG-NAL) with support from the Water Foundation, the report makes several recommendations to help state agencies, policymakers, community organizations and contractors build on the work they are already doing to expand nature-based solutions.

Down and read the report here

This includes deploying low-cost, low-tech practices like building Zuni bowls and one-rock dams, regenerative farming using healthy soil principles, green stormwater infrastructure, forest thinning, playa lakes restoration and other approaches that go beyond traditional infrastructure to protect New Mexico’s natural environment.

The report evaluated more than 50 programs across 14 state agencies and four non-state organizations, and included interviews with agency leadership, program managers, technical experts, and community partners.

It found that New Mexico should draw from its traditional knowledge and cutting edge science to better recognize nature-based solutions as a proactive strategy to tackle the increase in natural disasters.

Specifically, the report recommends policymakers provide more legal clarity in state statutes and programs, develop a shared vocabulary and consistent terminology, update grant requests and building codes, and address capacity gaps to support more workforce development and job training.

The key takeaway: New Mexico has the people, programs and practices ready to accelerate a government-wide embrace of nature-based solutions.

By supporting nature-based solutions, we can conserve land for farmers and ranchers, protect water supplies, restore our natural environment, create jobs, grow rural economies, and better protect communities from natural disasters.