An aerial view of marshes on Bair Island in San Francisco Bay in front of the low-lying homes and businesses of the Redwood Shores community. Credit: Megan Kelso The Center for Coastal Climate Resilience (CCCR) at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has partnered with The Nature Conservancy to develop a new tool for funding wetland conservation and restoration projects through verifiable "Coastal Resilience Assets." The value of these assets is based on the storm and flood protection benefits that the wetlands provide. Wetlands play an extremely valuable role in storm protection. For example, mangroves reduced storm damages from Hurricane Ian by more than $4.1 billion ; and in San Francisco Bay, the value of some marshes that serve as flood protection infrastructure exceeds $350,000 per acre . "This is a first-of-its kind method that creates certifiable investment opportunities for nature-based adaptation projects," said CCCR Director Michael W. Beck.…