Valuation of Ecosystem Benefits of Living Shorelines

Summary

With environmental change and rising sea levels, coastal communities are developing strategies to protect and stabilize their shorelines using natural materials. This ‘living shoreline’ concept may be more costly than traditional methods, but can provide added benefits in terms of ecosystem services. Three researchers from the WHOI Marine Policy Center will develop a framework for an effective and 'rapid' assessment for living shoreline designs and their ecosystem benefits. Their results will give coastal communities a decision-making tool to evaluate these new designs and compare them with traditional shoreline protection techniques.