Abstract
Hurricanes have large and lasting effects along coastlines, representing one of the deadliest and costliest natural hazards. Among the rapidly growing literature on the impacts of hurricanes, an increasing topic of interest is the potential role of mangroves, and other coastal habitats, as nature-based strategies (NBS) for coastal defense. In addition to coastal protection, NBS have been shown to provide many ecological, economic, and social co-benefits. However, few studies have assessed coastal resident perceptions or residential-scale performance of NBS, particularly in the wake of major hurricanes. Through a survey of 288 residents of the Lower Florida Keys 1 year after Hurricane Irma, this paper describes hurricane impacts on mangroves, beaches, and hardened shorelines. Specifically, we measured perceptions of shoreline damage and shoreline effectiveness for coastal protection at the community- and parcel-levels. At the parcel scale, we also measured performance outcomes through the cost to repair or replace residential shorelines. At both community- and parcel-levels, beaches were perceived as the most damaged shoreline type, followed by mangroves, and then hardened shorelines as the least damaged. Specifically at the parcel-level, repair actions were not taken by many residents with a hardened shoreline (43.2%) due to their shoreline receiving no damage. However, when repair actions were taken, the average cost to repair or replace parcel-level mangroves ($64.33 (USD) ± SE 58.08 per meter) was less than hardened shorelines ($105.14 (USD) ± SE 38.57 per meter). Additionally, 44% of residents reported that no repair or recovery actions were needed after the storm for damaged mangroves, whereas when hardened structures were damaged, many required at least minor repairs (29.5%). Mangroves were also perceived as the most effective shoreline for storm protection (54% very to extremely effective) at the community-level. Our findings indicate local community-level awareness of the storm protective properties mangroves provide but also display a disconnect between perceptions and performance outcomes at parcel scales. Although mangroves cost less to repair and are perceived as the most effective at storm protection, the majority of Florida Keys residents own hardened shorelines. Considering the diverse co-benefits mangroves provide and the local support mangroves have, their conservation and restoration could be well-supported for coastal adaptation.
Highlights
With sea level rising, ocean warming, and coastal populations increasing, natural hazards increasingly impact both the biophysical landscape, and human communities situated near shorelines (O’Keefe et al, 1976; Emanuel 2005; Donnelly and Woodruff, 2007; Pielke et al, 2008)
Previous studies covering the impacts caused by Hurricane Irma show that in residential areas of high inundation, homes with mangrove shorelines experienced less damage than homes with bulkheads, and beaches (Tomiczek et al, 2020)
Using Hurricane Irma as a case study, this paper describes residents’ perceptions and parcel-scale performance outcomes of shorelines after a major hurricane
Summary
Ocean warming, and coastal populations increasing, natural hazards increasingly impact both the biophysical landscape, and human communities situated near shorelines (O’Keefe et al, 1976; Emanuel 2005; Donnelly and Woodruff, 2007; Pielke et al, 2008). Many landowners and other important actors have armored coastlines with hardened infrastructure to counteract coastal hazards, such as erosion, flooding, and storms (National Research Council, 2007; Gittman et al, 2015; Scyphers et al, 2015). Hardened infrastructure, such as seawalls and riprap revetments, protect against erosion but degrade the natural environment (Bilkovic et al, 2016; Gittman et al, 2016). There has been a rapidly growing interest in naturebased strategies (NBS) for coastal protection since these strategies provide co-benefits for ecosystems and human communities (Scyphers et al, 2011; Spalding et al, 2014; Arkema et al, 2017; Gittman and Scyphers 2017). Using Hurricane Irma as a case study, this paper describes residents’ perceptions and parcel-scale performance outcomes of shorelines after a major hurricane
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