Last updated: January 2026
The Lightning Point Restoration Project focuses on protecting Bayou La Batre, one of the Gulf Coast’s few remaining working waterfronts. The community relies on fishing and seafood industries but faces increasing hazards from shoreline erosion, storm surge, hurricanes, and tropical storms. Past events such as Hurricane Katrina (2005) and oil spill (2010) caused major damage to infrastructure and livelihoods, highlighting the need for greater coastal resilience Led by The Nature Conservancy and partners, the project combines engineered and natural approaches to safeguard the shoreline while supporting local livelihoods. Core activities include constructing approximately 1–1.5 miles of segmented breakwaters and jetties at the mouth of the Bayou La Batre River, and creating about 28–40 acres of coastal marsh, tidal creeks, and upland habitats using beneficially reused dredged material. Native planting and long-term monitoring support habitat performance and adaptive management. These solutions aim to reduce wave energy, limit erosion, buffer storm surge, and maintain navigation, while restored marshes provide habitat for fish, shellfish, and birds. Designed to withstand nearly one foot of projected sea-level rise over the next 25 years, the project enhances shoreline protection, restores critical coastal habitats, and helps secure a resilient waterfront for Bayou La Batre’s economy and community (Ref. 1 - 4).
Lightning Point Restoration
Ref. 1
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Blue infrastructure
- Coastlines
- Coastal wetland, mangroves and salt marshes
Key challenges
- Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
- Climate change adaptation
- Coastal resilience and marine protection (SDG 14)
- Coastal protection / hazard mitigation
- Marine and coastal biodiversity protection
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Habitat and biodiversity restoration
- Habitat and biodiversity conservation
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
- Economic development: industry
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Climate-Related Hazards
- Coastal hazards (e.g. erosion, flooding)
- Sea level rise
- Extreme weather events (e.g. storms, hurricanes)
- Environmental Degradation
- Biodiversity loss
- Poor water quality
Key priorities
Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation), Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration)
Focus
Coastal landscape management or protection, Coastal ecosystems restoration and maintenance (mangroves, dunes, saltplains, underwater meadows), Improving coastal resilience
Project objectives
- Protect the shoreline of Bayou La Batre from erosion, wave action, and storm surge through nature-based and hybrid coastal defences
- Increase coastal resilience to hurricanes, tropical storms, and projected sea-level rise
- Restore and create coastal habitats, including marshes, tidal creeks, and upland areas, to support biodiversity
- Enhance nursery habitat for fish and shellfish critical to commercial and recreational fisheries
- Safeguard the working waterfront and sustain local seafood-based livelihoods
- Protect conserved coastal lands and improve long-term ecological function
- Maintain safe navigation for commercial and recreational vessels
- Provide an enhanced experience for locals and visitors for boating, fishing, and sightseeing.
- Demonstrate effective nature-based solutions for climate adaptation and coastal restoration
Implementation activities
Stage 1: Installation of breakwaters
Stage 2: placement of beneficial dredge material
Stage 3: grading of habitats & tidal creeks, native species plantings
Stage 4: Post-construction monitoring and adaptive management(Ref. 3)
Climate-focused activities
Climate change adaptation:
- Restore mangroves, marshes, reefs and wetlands to dissipate the effects of storms and floodwaters
- Protect and restore coastal ecosystems, to address loss of land and livelihoods, due to rising sea levels
Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts
Yes
Specification of climate or environmentally vulnerable communities
Coastal communities
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity conservation:
- Protect and enhance urban habitats
- Preserve and strengthen existing habitats and ecosystems
- Protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect native species
- Undertake specific measures to protect valued species
Biodiversity restoration:
- Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
- Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
- Restore native species
- Restore valued species
Main beneficiaries
- Researchers/University
- Citizens or community groups
- Coastal-dependent communities (e.g. small-scale fishers, coastal farmers, and indigenous peoples)
Governance
Management set-up
- Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Local government/municipality
- Non-government organisation/civil society
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Dissemination of information and education
- Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
- Citizen science
- Citizen monitoring and review
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
- The Nature Conservancy - Lead implementing organization and primary project coordinator
- Other non-governmental actors involved include: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Research institutions / Universities.
- City of Bayou La Batre: Local government partner representing community and working waterfront interests.
- Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources - State-level partner supporting coastal conservation and habitat restoration.
- Mobile County - County-level partner contributing land, coordination, and support for implementation.
- Community actors - Provide local knowledge and participate in engagement activities (Local residents, fishers, and seafood workers)
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
Type of enablers
NGOs/Community groups driving the implementation, Governance innovations (such as public private partnerships), Support from transitional governance actors, City network or regional partnerships focused on climate change, sustainability, GI or NBS in the city
Financing
Total cost
More than €4,000,000
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
- Funds provided by non-governmental organization (NGO)
- Private Foundation/Trust
Type of funding
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Climate change
- Increased protection against sea level rise
- Expected increased protection against sea level rise
- Strengthened capacity to address climate hazards/natural disasters
- Achieved strengthened capacity to address climate hazards/natural disasters
- Enhanced protection against extreme weather events (e.g. storms, cyclones, tidal surges, coastal erosion)
- Achieved enhanced protection against extreme weather events (e.g. storms, cyclones, tidal surges, coastal erosion)
- Water management and blue areas
- Enhanced protection and restoration of coastal and marine ecosystems
- Achieved enhanced protection and restoration of coastal and marine ecosystems
- Green space and habitat
- Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
- Achieved increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
- Reduced biodiversity loss
- Achieved reduced biodiversity loss
- Increased number of species present
- Achieved increased number of species present
Economic impacts
- Unknown
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved access to urban green space
- Achieved improved access to urban green space
- Health and wellbeing
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Achieved gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Safety
- Improved community safety to climate-related hazards
- Achieved improved community safety to climate-related hazards
Type of reported impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Yes
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs
Unknown
References
1.
TNC (2023). Lightning Point Restoration. Accessed on December 12, 2025, [Source link];
2.
TNC (n.d.). LIGHTNING POINT RESTORATION PROJECT (presentation). [Source link];
3.
TNC (n.d.). ALABAMA’S LIGHTNING POINT. [Source link];
4.
NFWF (n.d.). Lightning Point Restoration Project – Phase II . [Source link];
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.