Resilient Coastal Governments

Limited funding sources exist worldwide to help communities build capacity to respond to public health and on-the-ground impacts of climate change. Many existing climate resilience-focused funding sources lack flexibility, focus support on infrastructure and capital projects, and often do not allow for the allocation of funds to early phases of planning. Developing and implementing solutions will require joint action and collaboration across jurisdictions, agencies, and partners. Highlighting a need to increase funding for coastal resilience inclusive, science-based planning and piloting. There is an opportunity to pilot and implement public-private partnerships and blended funding mechanisms to support coastal resilience planning, projects at all scales, from local to national. 

Coastal Quest is working with a coastal California community foundation to pilot new approaches and build capacity of community groups and local government to increase endangered species populations. Based on current endangered species conservation and restoration needs in Orange County, we suggested ways to refocus priorities to preserve and restore endangered species more effectively, scale the impact of the fund, and ensure climate resilience. Among the solutions is to prioritize partnerships with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California State Coastal Conservancy and regional groups as well as collaborating with a tribal advisory group to help guide restoration efforts at the Los Cerritos Wetlands.