New study shows that the restoration of this ocean feature could protect thousands of lives: 'We level the playing field'

Restoring coral reefs can save thousands of lives, hundreds of millions of dollars, and our most at-risk neighbors, according to Phys.org.

A new study shows that bringing coral reefs back to health along the Florida and Puerto Rico coasts could shield nearly 3,000 people from storm damage each year. The restored reefs would block $391 million in property damage and business losses annually.

The study, published Jan. 15 in Science Advances, comes from researchers at UC Santa Cruz and the U.S. Geological Survey. They checked how much flooding occurs with and without healthy reefs, measuring impacts in areas as small as 108 square feet.

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The research showed coral reefs defend coastlines by absorbing strong waves before they hit the shore. This natural shield works better than concrete seawalls since reefs can grow taller as sea levels rise. Healthy reefs support fishing, tourism, and recreation, making their actual value even higher than the numbers show.

The benefits flow directly to those who need them most. People living further inland from beachfront properties (often children, seniors, minorities, and lower-income residents) would gain two to three times more protection than the general population.

"Our modeling is a major advance in characterizing the effectiveness of nature-based infrastructure for coastal protection. The approach can also be applied to other ecosystems, such as beaches, marshes, oyster reefs, and mangrove forests," said Borja Reguero, who led the research at UC Santa Cruz.

"This modeling system can be used to assess the impacts of future changes in storms or sea level, helping us to measure when and how cost effective it is to adapt."

The study opens new doors for funding reef restoration through disaster prevention programs.

"Most hazard mitigation and disaster-recovery funding supports more artificial infrastructure such as seawalls that degrade nature. By valuing the benefits of natural infrastructure, we level the playing field and open major new funding opportunities for reef restoration," said Michael W. Beck, director of UC Santa Cruz's Center for Coastal Climate Resilience.

Smart investments in nature keep paying off. Earlier research found that existing reefs protect over 18,000 Americans and prevent $1.8 billion in flood damage yearly.