One Redditor was furious after finding out that officials on a South Carolina island had approved the paving over of wetlands for new development.
"Johns Island is running out of developable land, so Kiawah River development is clearing oaks and backfilling wetlands to alleviate the pressure," wrote the original poster a year ago alongside a photo of the work.
Kiawah River and Kiawah Island developers have made sustainability efforts, including working farmland at the community's center and engaging in wildlife protection.
These efforts might become essential in order to counterbalance the likely ecological damage of both the removed wetlands and a 933-acre development featuring a golf course and a residential community planned for the area, as WCBD observed.
Homes on Kiawah River and Kiawah Island are valuable, with an average price of $1.6 million, according to Charleston Regional Business Journal.
At 83 square miles, Johns Island is one of the biggest islands along America's East Coast. Residents aren't without risk, however. As First Street pointed out, the island is on a floodplain, so 52% of properties are at risk of flooding in the next 30 years, no thanks to increasing atmospheric pollution. In anticipation of those floods, plans are in place to improve resilience for locals.
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Wetlands play an important role in carbon sequestration, biodiversity support, and flood protection. While housing is an important priority, increased urban densification can meet that need while leaving natural habitats like the Kiawah River untouched.
Community members were angry at the expanded Kiawah River development and sounded off in the Reddit comments.
"Southern Environment should be informed of this already, if they aren't. This is a travesty for the land," said one user.
"This is what we voted for, limited government. It's allowed private interests to basically do as they please because they have the money," said another.
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