Ecological tradeoffs of stabilized salt marshes as a shoreline protection strategy: Effects of artificial structures on macrobenthic assemblages

Bilkovic, Donna Marie; Mitchell, Molly

doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2013.10.011

Cited by 89 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…). Our findings agree with those of Bilkovic & Mitchell () who studied various effects of erosion prevention by creating a marsh in combination with a stabilizing structure, such as a low stone dam (as at our study sites). Such stabilized salt marshes are currently being implemented in many US coastal states, not only to control erosion but also to restore coastal habitats (see Currin et al.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Does vegetation in restored salt marshes equal naturally developed vegetation?

Loon-Steensma

Dobben

Slim

et al. 2015

Applied Vegetation Science

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Question Do low stone dams built to prevent erosion and to restore salt marshes through increased sedimentation affect plant species composition? Location Dutch Wadden Sea area (ca. 53°N 5°E). Methods Relevés (N = 170) were made of the vegetation of two restored salt marsh sites on the barrier islands Terschelling (Grië) and Ameland (Neerlands Reid). Existing relevés of salt‐marsh vegetation (N = 6198) made along the entire Dutch Wadden Sea coast (both the mainland and the barrier islands) were used as a reference. The vegetation of the two restored sites (Grië NLR data) was compared with the reference by (1) simple species‐by‐species analysis based on frequencies in both data sets, and by (2) ordination, where relevés of the restored sites were projected into a multivariate space defined by the species' abundances in the reference relevés. Results Out of the 37 species that are common (i.e. have a frequency >5%) in either the Grië NLR data or the reference data, 31 have frequencies that differ by less than a factor of five, and 23 differ by less than a factor of two. Furthermore, the Grië NLR data occupy a space that is well in the centre of the ordination space defined by the reference data. Conclusions There are no conspicuous differences between salt‐marsh vegetation behind low dams and the vegetation that has naturally developed on unprotected mudflats. We conclude that measures targeting salt marsh development in view of flood protection do not interfere with nature conservation.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Does vegetation in restored salt marshes equal naturally developed vegetation?

Loon-Steensma

Dobben

Slim

et al. 2015

Applied Vegetation Science

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“…With the global decline in natural estuarine and coastal systems, there is much interest in economically valuing the services provided by these habitats to leverage their conservation and restoration . Marsh sills, however, supported epifaunal suspension feeders, such as oysters, which colonized the rock sill and a lower deposit-feeding infaunal biomass than natural marshes (Bilkovic & Mitchell, 2013). However, created or restored habitats may not be effective at providing the same suite of services as natural ecosystems (Bilkovic & Mitchell, 2013 In particular, ecological trade-offs may occur with hybrid coastal protection that incorporates structural elements to facilitate restored habitats (Bilkovic & Mitchell, 2013).…”

Section: Additional Ecosystem Servicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To accurately evaluate the benefits of using nature-based coastal defence, cost-benefit analyses need to include all ecosystem services provided by eco-engineered and traditional coastal defence. A greater number of suspension feeders, however, could increase water filtration and thus the water quality services (Bilkovic & Mitchell, 2013). For instance, created saltmarsh in combination with a stabilizing structure, such as a low-profile rock sill is increasingly used in the United States for shoreline protection, as well as to restore coastal habitat.…”

Section: Additional Ecosystem Servicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

From grey to green: Efficacy of eco‐engineering solutions for nature‐based coastal defence

Morris

Konlechner

Ghisalberti

et al. 2018

Global Change Biology

342

150

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Climate change is increasing the threat of erosion and flooding along coastlines globally. Engineering solutions (e.g. seawalls and breakwaters) in response to protecting coastal communities and associated infrastructure are increasingly becoming economically and ecologically unsustainable. This has led to recommendations to create or restore natural habitats, such as sand dunes, saltmarsh, mangroves, seagrass and kelp beds, and coral and shellfish reefs, to provide coastal protection in place of (or to complement) artificial structures. Coastal managers are frequently faced with the problem of an eroding coastline, which requires a decision on what mitigation options are most appropriate to implement. A barrier to uptake of nature-based coastal defence is stringent evaluation of the effectiveness in comparison to artificial protection structures. Here, we assess the current evidence for the efficacy of nature-based vs. artificial coastal protection and discuss future research needs. Future projects should evaluate habitats created or restored for coastal defence for cost-effectiveness in comparison to an artificial structure under the same environmental conditions. Cost-benefit analyses should take into consideration all ecosystem services provided by nature-based or artificial structures in addition to coastal protection. Interdisciplinary research among scientists, coastal managers and engineers is required to facilitate the experimental trials needed to test the value of these shoreline protection schemes, in order to support their use as alternatives to artificial structures. This research needs to happen now as our rapidly changing climate requires new and innovative solutions to reduce the vulnerability of coastal communities to an increasingly uncertain future.

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“…Numerous restoration projects are initiated with the objective of reestablishing the macrobenthos community characteristics of riparian wetlands (Bilkovic and Mitchell 2013;Everaert et al 2013). In these instances, macrobenthos diversity and abundance are expected to increase because improving soil quality exceeds the thresholds of species tolerance after restoration.…”

Section: Influence Of Hydrological Connectivity On Macroinvertebrate mentioning

confidence: 99%

Macrobenthos Diversity Response to Hydrological Connectivity Gradient

et al. 2014

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The abundant riparian wetlands supported by the complex river network in Pearl River Delta (PRD) are under an intensely anthropogenic disturbance that threatens the local ecological environment. This paper examined the benthic invertebrate diversity and biomass within the Pearl River through a field study. A fieldwork was conducted to assess a hydrological connectivity gradient among the main channel of the Pearl River. The responses of macroinvertebrate metrics to the connectivity gradient and the restoration history in the river channel were examined. The Shannon diversity index ranged from 0.75 to 2.08, which was the highest among most connectivity river channels. Statistical analyses (PCA and CCA) revealed that the benthic abundance in high hydrological connectivity riverine habitats is clearly distinct from the low connectivity habitats. Results demonstrated that the diversity and density of macrobenthos are determined by hydrological connectivity and time span of the restoration (river channels). Therefore, conservation and restoration efforts should focus on the macroinvertebrate response to the hydrological connectivity of the river channels in PRD.

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Ecological tradeoffs of stabilized salt marshes as a shoreline protection strategy: Effects of artificial structures on macrobenthic assemblages

Cited by 89 publications

References 60 publications

Does vegetation in restored salt marshes equal naturally developed vegetation?

Does vegetation in restored salt marshes equal naturally developed vegetation?

From grey to green: Efficacy of eco‐engineering solutions for nature‐based coastal defence

Macrobenthos Diversity Response to Hydrological Connectivity Gradient

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