Melissa D. Ho: Why Walling Off Nature Won't Provide Water Security
Melissa D. Ho, Ph.D., Head of Advancement at TomorrowNow
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How can we use nature-based solutions alongside traditional infrastructure to meet our needs?
Melissa D. Ho joins John to explore how conservation is shifting from protecting nature in isolation to designing systems where people and ecosystems work together. Drawing on her experience in conservation and development, Melissa explains how nature-based solutions are being integrated with built infrastructure to improve water management and restore ecosystems. The conversation also explores groundwater, agriculture, corporate engagement, and why better stewardship and management of water may matter more than creating new supply.
“Nature-based solutions … it’s not just conservation with better branding, it’s actually re-engineering our mindset to think about engineering better with biological systems.”
Key Topics
The Shift Away from “Fortress Conservation”: Melissa explains how conservation is moving away from separating people from nature toward more integrated systems.
How Nature-Based Solutions Work With Infrastructure: Melissa discusses floodplains, wetlands, and riparian restoration alongside traditional infrastructure for water security.
Groundwater, Data, and Better Water Management: John and Melissa explore groundwater depletion, satellite monitoring, and why better measurement improves long-term management decisions.
Agriculture, Runoff, and Watershed Health: Melissa explains how agricultural runoff affects water quality and why upstream partnerships with farmers are increasingly important.
Corporate Incentives, Disclosure, and Water Risk: Melissa discusses how pricing, disclosure, and financial systems influence corporate behavior around water use and risk.
Scaling Nature-Based Solutions Beyond Pilot Projects: John and Melissa discuss the challenge of expanding local projects into larger, systems-level water solutions.
Links to Relevant Studies and Resources:
Read the report Melissa wrote with Brian Richter on sustainable groundwater management
Melissa discusses NASA’s GRACE satellite mission for groundwater monitoring
Learn more about the USDA Regional Conservation Partnership Program
Explore the CEO Water Mandate and Water Resilience Coalition
Melissa discusses upstream partnerships protecting New York City’s water supply
Learn more about the Catskill Watershed Corporation
Explore the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN)
Further reading
Melissa references The Wizard and the Prophet by Charles C. Mann
Learn more about managed aquifer recharge from the USGS
“We know that water security can’t thrive on a degraded landscape, and that we can’t sustain communities if they’re destroying their own watershed.”
Transcript
Coming soon.