Performance Evaluation of Natural and Nature-Based Features for Coastal Protection and Co-Benefits.
- 2026-01-16
- Annual review of marine science 18(1)
- Matthew A Reidenbach
- Ming Li
- Kenneth A Rose
- Tori Tomiczek
- James Morris
- Cindy M Palinkas
- Lorie W Staver
- William Nardin
- Matthew W Gray
- Serena B Lee
- Ariana E Sutton-Grier
- Amy M Hruska
- PubMed: 40758918
- DOI: 10.1146/annurev-marine-040423-023251
Study Design
- Type
- Review
- Methods
- Identified a selection of NNBF projects with long-term monitoring programs and synthesized monitoring data to provide a literature-based performance assessment.
Built infrastructure, such as seawalls and levees, has long been used to reduce shoreline erosion and protect coastal properties from flood impacts. In contrast, natural and nature-based features (NNBF), including marshes, mangroves, oyster reefs, coral reefs, and seagrasses, offer not only coastal protection but also a range of valuable ecosystem services. There is no clear understanding of the capacity of either natural habitats or NNBF integrated with traditional engineered infrastructure to withstand extreme events, nor are there well-defined breakpoints at which these habitats fail to provide coastal protection. Evaluating existing NNBF strategies using a standardized set of metrics can help to assess their effectiveness to better inform design criteria. This review identifies a selection of NNBF projects with long-term monitoring programs and synthesizes the monitoring data to provide a literature-based performance assessment. It also explores the integration of NNBF with existing gray infrastructure to enhance overall effectiveness.