A Hemimysis‐driven novel ecosystem at a modified rubble‐mound breakwater: An Engineering With Nature® Demonstration Project

Abstract

This article is part of the special series "Incorporating Nature-based Solutions to the Built Environment." The series documents the way in which the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets can be addressed when nature-based solutions (NBS) are incorporated into the built environment. This series presents cutting-edge environmental research and policy solutions that promote sustainability from the perspective of how the science community contributes to SDG implementation through new technologies, assessment and monitoring methods, management best practices, and scientific research.

Embracing biodiversity on engineered coastal infrastructure through structured decision-making and Engineering With Nature®

“…For many years, they have been used in conjunction with sediment dredged from adjacent federal navigation channels (Chasten et al 1993). To increase biodiversity, detached breakwaters can be designed or modified in a variety of ways (e.g., to attract fish and other species to the rocky structure; Geisthardt et al 2022). Detached breakwaters can be submerged for aesthetic purposes or segmented to promote water circulation and habitat value.…”

Transforming Institutions to Connect Land and Water for Healthy Communities

“…Projects such as restoration of barrier islands and sand dunes to attenuate storm surges or floodplains along rivers to reduce flood risks protect human communities and restore wildlife habitat. Through demonstrating the benefits, the USACE' EWN initiative has raised the potential of prioritizing nature-based solutions to more fully protect communities (Cohn et al 2022;Geisthardt et al 2022;Sella et al 2022;Suedel and Oen 2022). The Water Resources Development Act of 2020 directs the USACE to fully evaluate nature-based projects.…”

“…Results from these projects inform pilot-scale field projects, which are subsequently incorporated into the formulation of full-scale planning and design studies for new infrastructure projects along U.S. coastal areas. Monitoring is also an important activity, serving as a vehicle for collecting data and evidence about the project benefits such as reduction in erosion or increase in ecological habitat (Geisthardt et al 2022;Cohn et al 2022). The information gained and lessons learned through these cycles are then used to inform future applications of NNBF that promote healthy coastal communities.…”

“…Monitoring is also an important activity, serving as a vehicle for collecting data and evidence about the project benefits such as reduction in erosion or increase in ecological habitat (Geisthardt et al. 2022; Cohn et al. 2022).…”

Introduction to the Special Series, “Incorporating Nature‐based Solutions into the Built Environment”

“…Currently, monitoring and evaluation of NBSs are needed to provide a stronger evidence base to capture both the effectiveness of NBSs and the cobenefits associated with NBSs. Contributions that address this knowledge gap include Davis, Whitfield, et al (2021) and Geisthardt et al (2021). Davis, Whitfield, et al (2021) present a project that is monitoring an island restored through beneficial sediment use to develop a model to predict island structural performance under a range of different system scenarios.…”