Year: 2018
Project(s):
Relevance
Erosion is a common issue for most shoreline property owners and resource managers. To combat erosion, property owners often harden their shorelines with bulkheads or seawalls. While these methods are somewhat effective at reducing erosion, they also are associated with continual maintenance and a loss of intertidal habitat. This intertidal habitat is extremely important for producing the ecosystem functions and services necessary to maintain a healthy coastal ecosystem.
Response
The Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium’s Living Shorelines Program seeks out and evaluates alternatives to hardened shorelines, such as living shorelines, for environmental and economic benefits. This program gathers information to produce outreach and extension materials educating a range of stakeholders, such as environmental managers, contractors and property owners, about the pros and cons of different methodologies.
Results
The Living Shorelines Program provided 57 presentations, routine site visits and 13 publications focused on improving the effectiveness and ease of implementing living shorelines projects. Extension specialists informed decision-making on protection, restoration or enhancement of more than 9 linear miles of shoreline in Mississippi and Alabama. Their efforts led to protecting about 965 acres with an annual ecosystem service value approaching S45 million (based on ecosystem service values from Costanza et al. 2014, https://community-wealth.org/sites/clone.community-wealth.org/files/downloads/article-costanza-et-al.pdf).
Recap
Living shorelines education and extension efforts led to the protection of 965 acres of marine habitat with an annual ecosystem service value approaching $45 million. (2018)