Abstract
Miami-Dade County is a complex landscape, with diverse communities and unique natural resources. The area faces environmental justice challenges that are amplified by the changing climate. Nature-based solutions (NbS) offer a wide variety of human-benefits and have grown in popularity as a mitigation tactic for local issues like urban heat, stormwater, coastal erosion, and climate change impacts. This case study used park and preserve availability and linear regressions to investigate the relationships between NbS and social data in MDC, with an in-depth analysis of Pinecrest. Environmental justice research trends show majority populations disproportionately benefit and minority populations remain underserved. However, unlike most other major US cities, Miami is majority Hispanic or Latino and majority Two or More Races, and the available data unfortunately represents this population as homogenous. Distributional analysis of NbS and race and ethnicity data revealed largely insignificant results, although, there is a small, positive correlation between majority race populations and street tree count in Pinecrest. The majority race categories, Two or More Races and White, in Pinecrest live close to more street trees than minority populations. Participatory mapping, collaboration across agencies, and a nuanced understanding of local socio-ecological complexities remain key components of inclusive and equitable decision-making. A community mapping project that catalogued MDC’s NbS and volunteer opportunities fills a local gap in conservation education and outreach materials. This digital resource encourages local government agencies, NGOs, and non-profits to collectively map NbS. This map effectively provides an interactive catalogue of local projects and volunteer opportunities, ranging from living shorelines, parks, restoration projects, community gardens, artificial reefs, preserves, and green roofs. This will hopefully improve awareness and access to volunteer opportunities and inspire environmental stewardship at a local level.