Going with the flow or against the grain? The promise of vegetation for protecting beaches, dunes, and barrier islands from erosion

Abstract

Coastlines have traditionally been engineered to maintain structural stability and to protect property from storm‐related damage, but their ability to endure will be challenged over the next century. The use of vegetation to reduce erosion on ocean‐facing mainland and barrier island shorelines – including the sand dunes and beaches on these islands – could be part of a more flexible strategy. Although there is growing enthusiasm for using vegetation for this purpose, empirical data supporting this approach are lacking. Here, we identify the potential roles of vegetation in coastal protection, including the capture of sediment, ecological succession, and the building of islands, dunes, and beaches; the development of wave‐resistant soils by increasing effective grain size and sedimentary cohesion; the ability of aboveground architecture to attenuate waves and impede through‐flow; the capability of roots to bind sediments subjected to wave action; and the alteration of coastline resiliency by plant structures and genetic traits. We conclude that ecological and engineering practices must be combined in order to develop a sustainable, realistic, and integrated coastal protection strategy.

Investigation of the Effects of Plant Variety and Soil Sediment to the Coastal Abrasion in West Sumatra

“…The factor that can keep the soils staying are gravity and internal friction. The coarse grains with greater masses are also more difficult to be mobilized than fine grains [13].…”

Erosion of coastal foredunes : a review on the effect of dune vegetation

“…The AM fungus provides nutrient absorption benefits to the plants in exchange for carbohydrates via hyphae. These branching filaments of the fungus extend beyond the roots into the substrate, improving plant drought tolerance and nutrient acquisition while reducing salt stress (Feagin et al 2015). Koske and Polson (1984) found AM fungi to be present in dune plants, including U. paniculata and A. breviligulata, from Maine to Georgia.…”

“…Based on analogous studies of other landforms, the physical and ecological mechanisms by which aboveground and belowground vegetation structure may provide protection against dune erosion is discussed by Feagin et al (2015). The stems and leaves of seagrasses and wetland plants alter hydrodynamic forces and reduce wave energy, a function thought to extend to dune vegetation.…”

“…While management guidelines for constructing dunes identify vegetation as necessary to trap and accrete sediment, the potential for vegetation to mitigate dune erosion during severe events remains unaddressed due to a paucity of data. The effect of vegetation on dune erosion and overwash has not been studied comprehensively, instead relying largely on anecdotal evidence, post hoc observational studies, and analogous studies of other land features (Feagin et al 2009(Feagin et al , 2015. This CHETN begins with an introduction to coastal dune systems, with the following section detailing the dune erosion regimes defined by Sallenger (2000).…”

<b>The persistence of the Striped Hyena <I>Hyaena hyaena</I> Linnaeus, 1758 (Mammalia: Carnivora: Hyaenidae) as a predator of Olive Ridley Sea Turtle Lepidochelys olivacea Eschscholtz, 1829 (Reptilia: Testudines: Cheloniidae) eggs</b>

“…First, Casuarina plantations along the sea turtle nesting beach in Rushikulya have been criticized for altering beach dynamics and ruining the nesting habitat of sea turtles (Pandav et al 1998;Mohanty 2002). While their impact on beach characteristics may be negative (Feagin et al 2015), the actual evidence of the Casuarina's interference with the biological parameters of sea turtle nests is difficult to find (Schmid et al 2008). The plantations in Rushikulya have also been shown to benefit sea turtles by forming an artificial light barrier, preventing the misorientation (disorientation) of Olive Ridley hatchlings (Karnad et al 2009).…”