Strong Coastal Habitats Can Protect Us by City Tech blogger Fouad Medjekdoud

A research team that includes leading scientists at the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC); The Nature Conservancy(TNC), Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Risk Management Solutions (RMS), Guy Carpenter and others has been working on a study entitled “Coastal Wetlands and Flood Damage Reduction” which examines the factors that determine the effectiveness of coastal habitats in reducing damage from flooding during hurricanes and storms. The research aimed to shed light on the effectiveness of salt marshes and mangroves in protecting property from damage during storms and if so, what are the specific characteristics of these coastal habitats that influence their effectiveness? Results from the first report (October 2016) are represented in the map below and show that damage from Hurricane Sandy has been reduced by up to 50% in many North-East coastal areas thanks to coastal habitats. I am looking forward to see New York artificially expand its coastal habitats as a result of this research!