Vegetation’s role in coastal protection: response

BARBIER, E.B; KOCH, E.W.; SILLIMAN, B.R.; HACKER, S.D.; WOLANSKI, E.,; PRIMAVERA, J.; GRANEK, E.F.; POLASKY, S.; ASWANI, S.; CRAMER, L.A.; STOMS, D.M.; KENNEDY, C.J.; BAEL, D.; KAPPEL, C.V.; PERILLO G.M.E.; REED, D.J.

SCIENCE

American Association for Advancement of Sciences

Lugar: Washington, DC; Año: 2008 vol. 319 p. 312 - 322

0036-8075

A common assumption is that ecosystem services respond linearly to changes in habitat size.This assumption leads frequently to an “all or none” choice of either preserving coastal habitatsor converting them to human use. However, our survey of wave attenuation data from field studiesof mangroves, salt marshes, seagrass beds, nearshore coral reefs, and sand dunes reveals thatthese relationships are rarely linear. By incorporating nonlinear wave attenuation in estimatingcoastal protection values of mangroves in Thailand, we show that the optimal land use option mayinstead be the integration of development and conservation consistent with ecosystem-basedmanagement goals. This result suggests that reconciling competing demands on coastal habitatsshould not always result in stark preservation-versus-conversion choices.