Surfrider chapters restore dunes and mangroves to protect the coast
Surfrider Foundation chapters across the United States are restoring natural defences on the coast. Volunteers in Florida plant sea oats to anchor dunes against storms, and chapters from Puerto Rico to California are restoring mangroves and replacing hard infrastructure with natural dunes.
Beaches and dunes act as a buffer, protecting coastal communities, roads and wildlife habitat from waves and storms. Salt marsh, seagrass and mangroves also absorb rising seas while storing large amounts of carbon. For more than a decade, the Surfrider Foundation and its volunteer network have worked to restore these natural defences.
In Florida, Surfrider's Space Coast chapter restores coastal dunes by planting sea oats, whose roots help anchor the sand against storms, wind and erosion. The Miami chapter and the Cape Fear chapter in North Carolina run dune restoration programmes too.
In Puerto Rico, Surfrider is leading efforts to restore mangrove forests damaged by Hurricane Maria in 2017, along with shoreline in Tres Palmas Marine Reserve, the first marine reserve established on the island. On California's Humboldt coast it is working with the Wiyot tribe and local partners to protect miles of forested dunes and wetland.
In Ventura and Cardiff in southern California, Surfrider helped advocate for and lead two living shoreline projects that moved vulnerable infrastructure away from the coast and replaced it with natural dunes. According to Surfrider, coastal access has improved, wildlife is returning, and the beaches are more resilient to a changing climate.
Surfrider calls these nature-based solutions: using the power of nature to protect the coast and everything people love about it, from surfing to sandcastles.
Planting dunes and mangroves protects coastal towns and wildlife while keeping beaches open for everyone.
Source: Nature-Based Solutions on our Coasts: A Frontline Defense Against Climate Change (Surfrider Foundation).
Written by the HappyGood desk from the primary source linked above and checked against it. Every story links its source. Corrections: [email protected].
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