Advancing Coastal Risk Reduction Science and Implementation by Accounting for Climate, Ecosystems, and People

Abstract

Climate change and population growth are degrading coastal ecosystems and increasing risks to communities and infrastructure. Reliance on seawalls and other types of hardened shorelines is unsustainable in an era of rising seas, given the costs to build and maintain these structures and their unintended consequences on ecosystems. This is especially true for communities that depend on coastal and marine ecosystems for livelihoods and sustenance. Protecting and restoring coral reefs and coastal forests can be lower cost, sustainable alternatives for shoreline protection. However, decision-makers often lack basic information about where and under what conditions ecosystems reduce risk to coastal hazards and who would benefit. To better understand where to prioritize ecosystems for coastal protection, we assessed risk reduction provided by coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass along the entire coast of The Bahamas, under current and future climate scenarios. Modeled results show that the population most exposed to coastal hazards would more than double with future sea-level rise and more than triple if ecosystems were lost or degraded. We also found that ecosystem-based risk reduction differs across islands due to variation in a suite of ecological, physical, and social variables. On some populated islands, like Grand Bahama and Abaco, habitats provide protection to disproportionately large numbers of people compared to the rest of the country. Risk reduction provided by ecosystems is also evident for several sparsely populated, remote coastal communities, which in some cases, have large elderly populations. The results from our analyses were critical for engaging policy-makers in discussions about employing natural and nature-based features for coastal resilience. After hurricanes Joaquin and Matthew hit The Bahamas in 2016 and 2017, our assessment of coastal risk reduction and the multiple benefits provided by coastal ecosystems helped pave the way for an innovative loan from the Inter-American Development Bank to the Government of The Bahamas

Impacts of climate change on the tourism sector of a Small Island Developing State: A case study for the Bahamas

“…While coral reef-based activities such as snorkeling and diving are comparatively less preferred by tourists, the reefs remain a substantial draw and provide many ecosystem services such as storm protection and fisheries’ habitat. Silver et al (2019) modeled the coastal protection benefits of ecosystems in the Bahamas and found that these ecosystems were vital in reducing shoreline exposure to coastal hazards for all Bahamian islands. This was also evident in our study where the northern side of the NP Island, where the majority of the tourism infrastructure located, benefits from wave attenuation and storm protection provided by the nearby Cays and the fringing reef.…”

“…The country is aiming to develop tourism on family islands and new destinations through strengthening their intra-island airlift and transportation linkages to increase visitation beyond the NP/PI islands ( National Development Plan, 2017 ). Some islands such as San Salvador, Great and Little Inagua, Mayaguana and the Ragged Island Chains have less exposed shorelines due to their higher elevations, rocky shorelines and lower exposure to storm surge as compared to the more vulnerable Abaco, Andros and NP/PI islands ( Silver et al, 2019 ). The potential of extending tourism to these islands needs to be explored to effectively manage the growing industry.…”

“…Climate change manifests itself in many ways such as changes in sea levels, storm surges, and sea surface temperatures ( Church et al, 2013 ). A growing number of studies focus on the combined impacts of SLR and storm surge in coastal areas ( Frazier et al, 2010 ; Kleinosky et al, 2007 ; Neumann et al, 2015 ; Silver et al, 2019 ). In the Bahamas, Silver et al (2019) found an increase in shoreline exposure and population to coastal hazards with an increase in SLR.…”

“…A growing number of studies focus on the combined impacts of SLR and storm surge in coastal areas ( Frazier et al, 2010 ; Kleinosky et al, 2007 ; Neumann et al, 2015 ; Silver et al, 2019 ). In the Bahamas, Silver et al (2019) found an increase in shoreline exposure and population to coastal hazards with an increase in SLR. However, concerning coastal tourism, relatively few studies have attempted to investigate such combined effects of SLR and storm surge for SIDS.…”

The Impacts of Ocean Acidification on Marine Ecosystems and Reliant Human Communities

“…This must reach beyond ocean acidification, as extreme ocean events including harmful algal blooms, hypoxia, and marine heat waves have recently tested management systems and stressed marine-dependent socioeconomic systems (223). Emphasizing disaster risk reduction (224) and rigorously incorporating uncertainty (225) in marine policy and governance can greatly improve outcomes for both social and ecological systems affected by ocean change (226).…”