Nature-Based Solutions and Emerging Contaminants in Coastal Resilience

This Research Topic examines the role of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in strengthening coastal resilience, considering the growing concern over emerging contaminants and their dispersal pathways. Coastal ecosystems—mangroves, salt marshes, coral reefs, and seagrass meadows—act as natural filters that attenuate persistent organic pollutants (POPs), microplastics, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals, reducing the exposure of human communities and marine systems. However, the value of NbS is not limited to contaminant retention: it also lies in their capacity to restore ecological processes and ensure the recovery of ecosystem structure and functionality. Recognizing this dual dimension—attenuation and restoration— allows us to connect ecological research with practical applications in conservation, management, and policy, thereby contributing to environmental health, climate resilience, and the well-being of coastal communities.

The purpose of this Research Topic is to establish an interdisciplinary framework to understand and manage the interaction between coastal resilience and emerging contaminants, with direct applications in ecological restoration, public health, and environmental governance. We aim to advance standardized indicators and protocols that quantify the contaminant-attenuation services provided by NbS across diverse habitats and contexts. At the same time, we seek to validate their effectiveness in restoring forest structure, biodiversity, productivity, and the functional resilience of coastal ecosystems.

The Topic will promote comparative case studies and the development of decision-support tools designed to translate scientific evidence into actionable guidance for restoration. These tools will be applied in three priority areas: planning, risk assessment, and policy design. In this way, the initiative will foster evidence-based restoration that simultaneously reduces contaminant exposure and secures long-term ecological functionality.

This Research Topic advances an integrated view of: (1) ecological functionality —how coastal wetlands recover and sustain key processes of structure, productivity, and resilience; (2) pathways and risks —sources, transport, fate, and bioaccumulation of emerging contaminants; (3) socio-ecological resilience —how NbS strengthen adaptive capacity to pollution and climate change; and (4) integrated management—strategies linking restoration, monitoring, and prevention policies.

We invite contributions that: document the recovery of forest structure and ecosystem functionality; quantify attenuation in mangroves, salt marshes, reefs, or seagrass; trace POPs, microplastics, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals; develop indicators, models, or decision tools; and present comparative case studies, including under-represented regions. Methods may include field and laboratory studies, mesocosms, remote sensing, modeling, governance analyses, and cost–benefit or life-cycle assessment.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Nature-based Solutions (NbS), Coastal Resilience, Emerging Contaminants, Coastal Ecosystems, Natural Filters, Pollutant Pathways

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.