The Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe (PACIT), located in Southeastern Louisiana, thrives on diverse ecological and cultural resources, such as birds, plants, animals, fish, and sacred sites. Historically, Tribe members were fishers, hunters, and farmers. While many Tribe members continue to fish as a livelihood, climate-related hazards threaten their continued existence in the region and ability to thrive.

Adaptation measures taken by Tribe members have not been sufficient to withstand increased tropical storm impacts because of the loss of much of the surrounding lands to open water, exposing the community to greater storm surge and more frequent flooding. Following Hurricane Ida’s devastating impacts in August 2021, the Tribe is developing a comprehensive community-based strategy to prepare for future storms. Living shorelines are a nature-based solution that can support the PACIT in achieving critical aspects of their vision to sustainably rebuild and adapt to increasingly severe climate-related hazards. Through the support of the NASEM's Gulf Research Program, a transdisciplinary team led by Louisiana Sea Grant created a design for a network of living shoreline structures utilizing a version of a Living Shorelines Site Suitability Model made relevant to the local area through co-production-based research. This concept is a key strategy for protecting the community from future storm impacts and flooding that honors the Tribe’s cultural heritage and priorities. We expect this process will inform the design of similar measures in other coastal communities most at risk.