MAXBeth

Maximizing the beneficial environmental effects of tropical hybrid shorelines

As the demand for coastal protection intensifies in the face of climate change and urbanization, alternatives to traditional hard engineering ─ such as ‘hybrid’ and ‘green-grey’ shorelines ─ are gaining traction. However, even these solutions require a very substantial built component. Given the projected scale of coastal protection required for a safe future, it is critical that the negative environmental impact of any coastal construction is kept to a minimum and the positive effects are maximized. Currently, there is limited knowledge on how integrated nature-based solutions affect sediment dynamics, gas transfer, carbon sequestration, and ecosystem functioning. These are all interrelated and should be examined together. Here, we will compare both traditional coastal engineering structures (“grey solutions”) and natural coastal ecosystems (“green solutions”) to quantify the relative degree of additionality such integrated solutions can provide.