By Mark Richardson, Florida News Connection
Research indicates living shorelines are more effective at protecting Florida's fragile coastal areas from the wave action of hurricanes and other major storms than artificial structures.
A study analyzed the results of shorelines in the regions around Cedar Key, an island off Florida's Nature Coast, during Hurricane Idalia in 2023. Researchers found living shorelines reduce wave energy and storm surge by 28% in hurricane environments.
Savanna Barry, a regional specialized extension agent at the Nature Coast Biological Station in Cedar Key and a co-author of the study, said it demonstrated that natural barriers can be more effective than artificial structures.
"Living shorelines basically restore a gradual slope from the dry land to the ocean," Barry explained. "That shoaling natural slope, along with all of the complexity of the biological components, is what blows down currents and wave energy."
The study found that living shorelines, typically constructed from recycled oyster shells or other materials, provide better protection for communities against storm surge, sea level rise, and erosion. Officials hope to include the study data in future updates to the region's Big Bend Seagrasses Aquatic Preserve Plan.
Living shorelines are less expensive to create, more resilient to storms, and have less maintenance costs, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Barry noted that natural solutions are often more adaptable and resilient to changing conditions than seawalls and other complex structures.
"There is a direct economic benefit to the homeowner or property owner to install this," Barry pointed out. "It was eight and a half times cheaper to install a living shoreline and 2.7 times cheaper to maintain a living shoreline than a seawall."
The Big Bend Seagrasses Aquatic Preserve spans nearly 1 million acres off Cedar Key. Barry stressed it is crucial to commercial shellfish, including Cedar Key clams, oysters, pink shrimp, and blue crab. All the state's aquatic preserves have management plans to guide the use of natural resources.
Editor's Note: The Pew Charitable Trusts provided support for this reporting.
