A New Scientific Study Quantifies the Effectiveness of Mangroves in Reducing Flood Risk

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4 years 4 months ago #127 by hilary
The Nature Conservancy, University of California Santa Cruz, and RMS have just published a new scientific study that quantifies the effectiveness of mangroves in reducing flood risk to people and property. The study finds that mangroves
significantly reduce annual and catastrophic damages and are a strong first line of defense for coastal communities.

The study, Valuing the Flood Risk Reduction Benefits of Florida's Mangroves , led by a team of scientists from the engineering, insurance, and conservation sectors, concludes that mangroves in Florida prevented US $1.5 billion in direct flood damages and protected over half a million people during Hurricane Irma in 2017, reducing damages by nearly 25% in counties with mangroves. With coastal challenges created by growing populations, burgeoning development, and climate change, risks to people and property from flooding and storm surge are on the rise. Mangroves provide valuable flood protection and risk reduction benefits to these coastal areas, and yet are a threatened species.

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