This agreement approves funding in the amount of $725,175 to the florida international university's project to address climate resiliency through nature based infrastructure

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 4, through the Geographic Programs - South Florida Geographic Initiatives Program (CFDA 66.484), awarded Florida International University $725,175 on August 1, 2025, to develop a regional geospatial decision support tool addressing climate resiliency through nature-based infrastructure. The award, which extends through July 31, 2028, responds to estuarine ecosystem degradation caused by urbanization by delivering a practical planning and design tool that enables environmental practitioners to assess, construct, and maintain nature-based solutions resilient to sea level rise (SLR) impacts on South Florida's aquatic ecosystems.

The primary deliverables include the geospatial decision support tool with harmonized data layers, interface design and functionality specifications, performance and final reports, and peer-reviewed publications. Key products and services encompass data integration across multiple geographic regions, tool testing and evaluation through beta distribution to regional and national partners, practitioner training workshops, and dissemination materials demonstrating the tool's application to coastal ecosystem management. A subrecipient award of $125,000 to the University of Florida supports data layer harmonization and interface design led by geomatics specialist Dr. Hartwig Hochmair, who directs northern and southern regional data modeling, user interface development, and knowledge transfer activities. Expected outcomes include enhanced scientific understanding of coastal ecosystem threats, quantified characterization of nature-based solution interactions, and enabling Florida practitioners to evaluate aquatic ecosystem effects and design climate-resilient infrastructure solutions.

Historic and ongoing urbanization has resulted in a substantial impairment of estuarine water quality, habitat degradation, and a decline in estuarine ecosystem services. This project aligns with the latter and is designed to create a regional geospatial decision support tool to help practitioners plan, design, construct, and maintain nature-based solutions that are resilient to sea level rise (SLR). Activities:the activities to be performed include interacting with partners during all stages of the project, such as participation in regional/national environmental practitioner meetings, peer reviewing publications, and distribute beta version of tool to partners to test and evaluate. Subrecipient:subaward to university of florida for $125,000 to build and harmonize data layers, assist in interface design and functionality, outreach, and publications.outcomes:the anticipated deliverables include performance and final reports. The expected outcomes are coproduction, promotion of a heightened scientific understanding of the threats to coastal ecosystems, training, and model use, provide partners with a novel means of characterizing, quantifying, and defining the interaction of nature based solutions and model demonstration and access, provide other florida practitioners with the knowledge and means to elucidate the effects on aquatic ecosystems and nature-based solutions. Partner with other agencies or organizations on proposals or projects designed to apply the model to their jurisdictional domain. The intended beneficiaries are citizens in the state of florida.