Nature-based solutions
The Altieri Lab is actively working with a community of stakeholders to assess and address environmental challenges facing our coasts. We work with partners from government, NGOs, and industry to design and implement sustainable solutions to slow, mitigate, and reverse trends of habitat degradation, shoreline retreat, and species loss. We utilize ‘natural and nature-based solutions’ (NBS) that incorporate living components such as wetland plants and reef-forming organisms as green infrastructure, along with natural process such as mutualistic species interactions and sediment capture. This NBS approach has the benefits of increasing resilience through growth and self-repair of living components, decreasing project costs relative to conventional approaches, and providing co-benefits such as recreational opportunities, food and clean water, and biodiversity enhancement. We also have a growing interest in developing and expanding the use of sustainable materials (e.g., biodegradable, alternative, and/or natural products). By playing a lead role in full-scale shoreline restoration and enhancement projects, we are able to leverage sea-scape scale interventions as experiments to innovate technology for greater success in future projects.
The Altieri Lab is actively working with a community of stakeholders to assess and address environmental challenges facing our coasts. We work with partners from government, NGOs, and industry to design and implement sustainable solutions to slow, mitigate, and reverse trends of habitat degradation, shoreline retreat, and species loss. We utilize ‘natural and nature-based solutions’ (NBS) that incorporate living components such as wetland plants and reef-forming organisms as green infrastructure, along with natural process such as mutualistic species interactions and sediment capture. This NBS approach has the benefits of increasing resilience through growth and self-repair of living components, decreasing project costs relative to conventional approaches, and providing co-benefits such as recreational opportunities, food and clean water, and biodiversity enhancement. We also have a growing interest in developing and expanding the use of sustainable materials (e.g., biodegradable, alternative, and/or natural products). By playing a lead role in full-scale shoreline restoration and enhancement projects, we are able to leverage sea-scape scale interventions as experiments to innovate technology for greater success in future projects.
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Selected publications
Van Rees, C.B., C. VanBuren, L.A. Han, A. Altieri, M. Bilskie, J.E. Byers, J. Calabria, M.L. Chambers, D.J. Coleman, K. Foster, A. Leit (2026) Eight recommendations to enhance biodiversity outcomes of nature-based solutions at multiple scales. Journal of Environmental Management 414: 130518.
A.T. Hymel, A.H. Altieri, O. Cordero, C. Saltus, C. Angelini (2026) Informing thin-layer placement for coastal wetland restoration through remote sensing and community outreach. Remote Sensing 18: 1716.
Frazier, T.A., C. Angelini, M.A. Schneider, C.R. Adams, A.H. Altieri, J.P. Morton (2026) Sand source and fertilizer addition effects on the growth of two foundational dune grasses: implications for restoration. Estuaries and Coasts 49: 42.
Hay, B., A. Hymel, J.P. Morton, M. Schneider, C. Angelini, D.W. Perkey, K.T. Powell, A.H. Yarnall, A.H. Altieri (2026) Sediment addition at the saltmarsh–mangrove ecotone shifts species dominance with implications for restoration. Journal of Applied Ecology 63: e70301.
Marin‐Diaz, B., C. Angelini, C. Pezoldt, K. Konchar, A.H. Altieri (2026) Testing biodegradable interventions to disrupt plant–animal feedbacks and promote seagrass establishment. Restoration Ecology 23: e70235.
Zhang, Y.S., A.H. Altieri, C. Angelini, L.F. Curl, J.P. Morton, S.P. Paliotti, M.S. Thomsen, T.A. Toon (2026) Optimizing ecosystem restoration with facilitation cascades. BioScience 76: 21-33.
Sakr, A., L.D. Mazor, E.C. Milbrandt, J.P. Morton, A.H. Altieri (2025) A changing of the garden: evaluating the performance and ecosystem functionality of alternative oyster garden structures in residential waterways. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 13: 1576407.
Sakr, A. and A.H. Altieri (2025) Living in a material world: Support for the use of natural and alternative materials in coastal restoration and living shorelines. Ecological Engineering 211: 107462.
Collin, R., A.E. Adelson, A.H. Altieri, K.E. Clark, K. Davis, S.N. Giddings, S. Kastner, L. Mach, G. Pawlak, S. Sjögersten, M. Torres, C.P. Scott (2024) Using forty years of research to view Bahia Almirante on the Caribbean coast of Panama as an integrated socio-ecological system. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 306: 108878.
B.R. Silliman, M.J.S. Hensel, J.P. Gibert, P. Daleo, C.S. Smith, D.J. Wieczynski, C. Angelini, A.B. Paxton, A.M. Adler, Y.S. Zhang, A.H. Altieri, T.M. Palmer, H.P. Jones, R.K. Gittman, J.N. Griffin, M.I. O’Connor, J. van de Koppel, J.R. Poulsen, M. Rietkerk, Q. He, M.D. Bertness, T. van der Heide, S.R. Valdez (2024) Harnessing ecological theory to enhance ecosystem restoration. Current Biology 24: R418-R434.
Xu, C., B.R. Silliman, J. Chen, X. Li, M.S. Thomsen, Q. Zhang, J. Lee, J.S. Lefcheck, P. Daleo, B.B. Hughes, H.P. Jones, R. Wang, S. Wang, C. Smith, X. Xi, A.H. Altieri, J. van de Koppel, T.M. Palmer, L. Liu, J. Wu, B. Li, Q. He (2023) Herbivory limits success of vegetation restoration globally. Science 382: 589-594.
Li, X., H. Wang, D.J. McCauley, A.H. Altieri, B.R. Silliman, J.S. Lefcheck, J. Wu, B. Li, Q. He (2023) A wide megafauna gap undermines China’s expanding coastal ecosystem conservation. Science Advances 9: eadg3800.
Morrison, E.S., E. Phlips, S. Badylak, A.R. Chappel, A.H. Altieri, T.Z. Osborne, D. Tomasko, M.W. Beck, E. Sherwood (2023) The response of Tampa Bay to a legacy mining nutrient release in the year following the event. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 11: 1144778.
Walker, J.E., T. Ankersen, S. Barchiesi, C.K. Meyer, A.H. Altieri, T.Z. Osborne, C. Angelini (2022) Governance of the mangrove commons: Advancing the cross scale, nested framework for the global conservation and wise use of mangroves. Journal of Environmental Management 312: 114823.
Van Rees, C.B., C. VanBuren, L.A. Han, A. Altieri, M. Bilskie, J.E. Byers, J. Calabria, M.L. Chambers, D.J. Coleman, K. Foster, A. Leit (2026) Eight recommendations to enhance biodiversity outcomes of nature-based solutions at multiple scales. Journal of Environmental Management 414: 130518.
A.T. Hymel, A.H. Altieri, O. Cordero, C. Saltus, C. Angelini (2026) Informing thin-layer placement for coastal wetland restoration through remote sensing and community outreach. Remote Sensing 18: 1716.
Frazier, T.A., C. Angelini, M.A. Schneider, C.R. Adams, A.H. Altieri, J.P. Morton (2026) Sand source and fertilizer addition effects on the growth of two foundational dune grasses: implications for restoration. Estuaries and Coasts 49: 42.
Hay, B., A. Hymel, J.P. Morton, M. Schneider, C. Angelini, D.W. Perkey, K.T. Powell, A.H. Yarnall, A.H. Altieri (2026) Sediment addition at the saltmarsh–mangrove ecotone shifts species dominance with implications for restoration. Journal of Applied Ecology 63: e70301.
Marin‐Diaz, B., C. Angelini, C. Pezoldt, K. Konchar, A.H. Altieri (2026) Testing biodegradable interventions to disrupt plant–animal feedbacks and promote seagrass establishment. Restoration Ecology 23: e70235.
Zhang, Y.S., A.H. Altieri, C. Angelini, L.F. Curl, J.P. Morton, S.P. Paliotti, M.S. Thomsen, T.A. Toon (2026) Optimizing ecosystem restoration with facilitation cascades. BioScience 76: 21-33.
Sakr, A., L.D. Mazor, E.C. Milbrandt, J.P. Morton, A.H. Altieri (2025) A changing of the garden: evaluating the performance and ecosystem functionality of alternative oyster garden structures in residential waterways. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 13: 1576407.
Sakr, A. and A.H. Altieri (2025) Living in a material world: Support for the use of natural and alternative materials in coastal restoration and living shorelines. Ecological Engineering 211: 107462.
Collin, R., A.E. Adelson, A.H. Altieri, K.E. Clark, K. Davis, S.N. Giddings, S. Kastner, L. Mach, G. Pawlak, S. Sjögersten, M. Torres, C.P. Scott (2024) Using forty years of research to view Bahia Almirante on the Caribbean coast of Panama as an integrated socio-ecological system. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 306: 108878.
B.R. Silliman, M.J.S. Hensel, J.P. Gibert, P. Daleo, C.S. Smith, D.J. Wieczynski, C. Angelini, A.B. Paxton, A.M. Adler, Y.S. Zhang, A.H. Altieri, T.M. Palmer, H.P. Jones, R.K. Gittman, J.N. Griffin, M.I. O’Connor, J. van de Koppel, J.R. Poulsen, M. Rietkerk, Q. He, M.D. Bertness, T. van der Heide, S.R. Valdez (2024) Harnessing ecological theory to enhance ecosystem restoration. Current Biology 24: R418-R434.
Xu, C., B.R. Silliman, J. Chen, X. Li, M.S. Thomsen, Q. Zhang, J. Lee, J.S. Lefcheck, P. Daleo, B.B. Hughes, H.P. Jones, R. Wang, S. Wang, C. Smith, X. Xi, A.H. Altieri, J. van de Koppel, T.M. Palmer, L. Liu, J. Wu, B. Li, Q. He (2023) Herbivory limits success of vegetation restoration globally. Science 382: 589-594.
Li, X., H. Wang, D.J. McCauley, A.H. Altieri, B.R. Silliman, J.S. Lefcheck, J. Wu, B. Li, Q. He (2023) A wide megafauna gap undermines China’s expanding coastal ecosystem conservation. Science Advances 9: eadg3800.
Morrison, E.S., E. Phlips, S. Badylak, A.R. Chappel, A.H. Altieri, T.Z. Osborne, D. Tomasko, M.W. Beck, E. Sherwood (2023) The response of Tampa Bay to a legacy mining nutrient release in the year following the event. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 11: 1144778.
Walker, J.E., T. Ankersen, S. Barchiesi, C.K. Meyer, A.H. Altieri, T.Z. Osborne, C. Angelini (2022) Governance of the mangrove commons: Advancing the cross scale, nested framework for the global conservation and wise use of mangroves. Journal of Environmental Management 312: 114823.