The Lack of Living Shorelines
In an article titled “Agencies Making Living Shorelines Easier to Build,” the author, Tom Reis, highlights the advantages and the importance of living shorelines in Tampa Bay. Accordingly, the article explains how coastal properties are becoming more valuable due to rising sea levels and development (Ries, 2022). As such, establishing living shorelines in coastal properties helps protect the property against the adverse effects of rising sea levels. Secondly, living shorelines are a natural habitat for plants and animals, which boosts the environment, as opposed to their alternative, seawalls. The alert for the lack of living shorelines is high because the adverse effects of climate change are already evident. Numerous areas along coastal areas have been flooded, and the possibility of such occurrences is only increasing as global warming continues to grow.
There are approximately one thousand miles of shoreline in Tampa Bay. Shockingly, Reis reveals that in this one thousand-mile shoreline, only eleven miles of living shorelines have been constructed. The author states, “About 11 miles of living shorelines are currently constructed in and around Tampa Bay” (Ries, 2022). This is disturbing because, with the increasing risk of flooding in coastal areas, Tampa Bay is at a considerable risk of losing a lot of property and even lives because it has no protection from floods. A mere eleven miles of living shorelines cannot prevent the city from flooding. Further, seawalls harm the sea’s ecosystem because they contain plant growth, cause erosion, and lead to low biodiversity. The fact the majority of Tampa Bay’s shoreline has seawalls gives a general idea of how much the biodiversity has been impacted.
One fact that I found promising is that people who own property along shorelines are becoming more aware of the importance of living on shorelines economically and environmentally. Notably, “across the region, people who own waterfront property have embraced the concept of a green alternative to the gray seawalls that discourage marine life. They understand that living shorelines can protect their property just as effectively, sometimes even better, than a seawall while providing ecological benefits including improved water quality and habitat for wildlife, such as fish and birds, as well as improving the aesthetics of their property” (Ries, 2022). Accordingly, with public awareness about the importance of living shorelines, more and more nature-based shorelines will be installed. Considering that a significant portion of Tampa Bay’s shoreline is privately owned, more living shorelines will be established as residents aim to protect and increase the value of their properties. Further, Reis (2022) also explains that one of the reasons for the lack of living shorelines is that it was harder for residents to install a seawall than a nature-based shoreline (Ries, 2022). However, currently, agencies involved, like Florida Water Management District, US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Southwest Florida Water Management District, and other state government agencies, have made securing authorization for a nature-based shoreline easy.
In conclusion, the lack of living shorelines would be on high alert because all over the world, there have been numerous cases of flooding and storms due to rising sea levels, leading to loss of property and life. There are already multiple reports of islands sinking due to the rapid rise of sea levels brought about by global warming. Considering that Tampa Bay is surrounded by water, it would be wise to safeguard it against rising sea levels. Further, having only eleven miles of nature-based shoreline on the entire shoreline of Tampa Bay is irresponsible of the agencies supposed to protect the environment. It is imperative that people living along seashores soon adopt strategies that will help protect them from these adverse effects of climate change. Accordingly, the establishment of nature-based shorelines is one of these strategies.
References
Reis T., (2022). Agencies Making Living Shorelines Easier to Build. Bay Soundings. Retrieved from: https://baysoundings.com/agencies-making-living-shorelines-easier-to-build/.
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Question
The Lack of Living Shorelines
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