Toward a multifunctional nature‐based coastal defense: a review of the interaction between beach nourishment and ecological restoration

• Published in: Nordic journal of botany Vol. 2023; no. 1
• Main Authors: Kindeberg, Theodor, Almström, Björn, Skoog, Mona, Olsson, Pål Axel, Hollander, Johan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.01.2023; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Agricultural and Veterinary sciences; Annan lantbruksvetenskap; Beach nourishment; Beaches; Biodiversity; Biodiversity loss; Biologi; Biological Sciences; botany; Breakwaters; climate; Climate change; climate change adaptation; Coastal ecology; Coastal erosion; Coastal management; Coastal zone management; Complementarity; cost effectiveness; ecological impact; ecological restoration; Ecology (including Biodiversity Conservation); ecosystems; Ekologi; Environmental protection; Environmental restoration; Environmental Sciences and Nature Conservation (including Biodiversity); Geomorphology; grasses; Incentives; Lantbruksvetenskap och veterinärmedicin; Miljö- och naturvårdsvetenskap (Här ingår: Biodiversitet); multifunctionality; Natural Sciences; nature-based solution; Naturvetenskap; Other Agricultural Sciences; Plants; Restoration; seagrasses; sediment; Shore protection; Shoreline protection; shorelines; Sweden; Sweden
• ISSN: 0107-055X; 1756-1051; 1756-1051
• DOI: 10.1111/njb.03751

Coastal protection has evolved from focusing on hard solutions such as breakwaters and groynes to include soft or nature‐based solutions (NbS). NbS have been proposed as cost‐effective means to offer long‐term coastal protection and at the same time strengthen coastal resilience and biodiversity. However, projects utilizing NbS for coastal protection have often focused on a single solution and the evidence of improved biodiversity remain equivocal. In this paper, we review solutions traditionally used for disparate purposes – namely beach nourishment and the establishment of vascular plants such as seagrass and dune grass. The main incentives behind large‐scale beach nourishment projects are often the cost‐effectiveness, multifunctionality and dynamic shoreline protection whereas the focus of vegetation restoration has typically been on recreating important habitats and not specifically as a coastal protection measure. Based on previous studies and an on‐going large‐scale coastal adaptation project in southern Sweden, we investigate the feasibility of combining these seemingly dichotomous management strategies to yield a viable physical defense and at the same time strengthen coastal biodiversity and ecosystem multifunctionality. Given the urgency in combatting biodiversity loss and adapting to a changing climate, management interventions for coastal protection should explicitly incorporate ecological values into every coastal protection measure and seek innovative, integrated approaches that consider both geomorphological and ecological values and the possible complementarity between the two.