Nature-based infrastructure leverages existing or restored natural ecosystems with minimal engineering intervention to address environmental challenges like flooding, erosion, and water quality. Unlike traditional built infrastructure like dams, pipes, and treatment plants, these systems utilize wetlands, forests, rivers, and other natural features as the original water infrastructure to provide water filtration, flood buffering, and flow regulation. Nature based infrastructure emphasizes working with natural processes rather than attempting to control them through concrete and steel.
Research consistently shows that natural infrastructure can deliver substantial, measurable protection for communities while often costing less than structural alternatives. In Iowa, this might include restoring and protecting wetlands that filter agricultural runoff, reestablishing natural floodplains along our rivers, and creating forest buffers that intercept surface water before it reaches waterways. Unlike green infrastructure that often requires significant construction and maintenance, these approaches harness nature’s self-sustaining processes and typically appreciate in value over time as ecosystems mature and strengthen.
Applications in Iowa
Floodplain preservation and restoration: Natural floodplains absorb and temporarily store floodwaters, working with natural cycles rather than constraining flows. These areas reduce downstream flooding while supporting diverse ecosystems and naturally filtering pollutants.
Wetland systems: Nature’s original water management infrastructure provides flood control, water filtration, and groundwater recharge. These self-maintaining systems improve with age and deliver significant economic benefits through flood mitigation.
Forest buffers: Strategic tree systems intercept rainfall, slow runoff, filter pollutants, and enhance infiltration through extensive root networks. These buffers are particularly effective between agricultural areas and waterways.
Beaver-inspired systems: Innovative structures mimic beaver dams to slow water flow and reconnect streams with floodplains. These systems create complex habitats that evolve naturally while managing water flow and quality.
Prairie restoration: Reestablishment of native prairie ecosystems recreates complex grassland systems with deep root networks that significantly improve water management. These restored prairies store organic carbon in the soil while supporting thousands of species that depend on grasslands for food and shelter. Research in Iowa has shown they can substantially improve groundwater quality over time.