Living Dunes: a trait-based modelling approach to optimize dune-based Nature-based Solutions

To protect vulnerable coastal dunes from the growing pressures of climate change and human activities, effective and sustainable management through Nature-based Solutions (NbS) is essential. The Living Dunes Python package (https://users.ugent.be/~frevdael/) is a novel spatially explicit, process-based model that simulates coastal dune dynamics by coupling vegetation dynamics with aeolian transport and key environmental drivers. Developed in collaboration with the Dunefront and SUSANA projects, which aim to enhance coastal protection through NbS, Living Dunes is being parameterized with trait data from dune-building plant species, which are at the basis of bio-geomorphological feedbacks. Species-specific parameters for key life stages, including germination, growth, dispersal, and mortality, are incorporated to represent the diversity of coastal dune communities and their role in delivering NbS. These demographic processes are driven by environmental variables derived from global datasets and online APIs, enabling the simulation of fine-grained vegetation dynamics under various climate change and NbS implementation scenarios. By integrating trait data, process-based modeling, and global datasets, the Living Dunes package demonstrates how computational tools can be used to understand and predict coastal dune responses to environmental change, directly informing the design and optimization of NbS for dune restoration and coastal protection in the face of climate change and anthropogenic pressures.