Abstract
Natural habitats have the ability to protect coastal communities against the impacts of waves and storms, yet it is unclear how different habitats complement each other to reduce those impacts. Here, we investigate the individual and combined coastal protection services supplied by live corals on reefs, seagrass meadows, and mangrove forests during both non-storm and storm conditions, and under present and future sea-level conditions. Using idealized profiles of fringing and barrier reefs, we quantify the services supplied by these habitats using various metrics of inundation and erosion. We find that, together, live corals, seagrasses, and mangroves supply more protection services than any individual habitat or any combination of two habitats. Specifically, we find that, while mangroves are the most effective at protecting the coast under non-storm and storm conditions, live corals and seagrasses also moderate the impact of waves and storms, thereby further reducing the vulnerability of coastal regions. Also, in addition to structural differences, the amount of service supplied by habitats in our analysis is highly dependent on the geomorphic setting, habitat location and forcing conditions: live corals in the fringing reef profile supply more protection services than seagrasses; seagrasses in the barrier reef profile supply more protection services than live corals; and seagrasses, in our simulations, can even compensate for the long-term degradation of the barrier reef. Results of this study demonstrate the importance of taking integrated and place-based approaches when quantifying and managing for the coastal protection services supplied by ecosystems.
Highlights
Coastal and marine ecosystems are perceived, promoted and used as alternatives to traditional coastal protection structures [1,2,3,4]
We investigate the relative importance of the three different habitats at protecting the coast under non-storm conditions and during a typical hurricane, using 8 scenarios of habitat presence/ absence
We evaluate the importance of live corals on reefs by conducting the analyses under two sea-level scenarios: a present day sea-level and a future 1 m sea-level rise (SLR) scenario, assuming that reefs covered with live corals will accrete as sea-level rises
Summary
Coastal and marine ecosystems are perceived, promoted and used as alternatives to traditional coastal protection structures [1,2,3,4]. The hope is that, through conservation and restoration efforts, these ecosystems will shield communities from the impacts of coastal. Coastal Protection Services of Multi-Habitat Seascapes design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
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