Mangroves may provide storm protection for coastal communities, according to a study. Mangrove forests can protect coastlines during tropical storms by reducing water flow pressure, surge height, flooding, wind velocity, and salt water intrusion. However, the economic benefits to coastal communities from such protection have not been analyzed at the global level. Jacob P. Hochard and colleagues analyzed data on nearly 2,000 coastal communities in 23 countries with substantial mangrove areas spanning the years 2000 to 2012. The authors compared communities' mangrove extent with trends in economic activity following cyclone exposure, using nighttime luminosity as a proxy for economic activity. The average community in the dataset had 6.3 m of mangroves per meter of coastline. The authors estimated that following cyclone exposure, the growth rate of economic activity in such a community decreases for up to 6 years relative to the pre-cyclone trend, corresponding to a permanent loss of 5.4-6.7 months' worth of economic activity. By contrast, a community with substantially above-average mangrove coverage of 25.6 m per meter of coastline would lose only 2.6-5.5 months of economic activity. According to the authors, even modest mangrove coverage could protect economic activity in communities affected by cyclones. Mangrove restoration efforts might therefore be more cost-effective than previously thought.
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Article #18-20067: "Mangroves shelter coastal economic activity from cyclones," by Jacob P. Hochard, Stuart E. Hamilton, and Edward B. Barbier.
MEDIA CONTACT: Jacob P. Hochard, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC; tel: 978-821-9108; e-mail: hochardj15@ecu.edu
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences