Fast Facts

• On average, coral reefs reduce wave energy by 97%, offering significant coastal

       hazard protection.
       o The effectiveness of coral reefs for coastal hazard risk reduction and adaptation.

          (Ferrario et al. 2014)
 

• Without adaptation, climate change is expected to increase direct economic

       damages from coastal flooding over 14 times higher than present-day costs by the
       end of this century, under high-emissions scenarios. 

            o Small Island Developing States under threat by rising seas even in a 1.5 °C

               warming world. (Vousdoukus et al 2023)

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• If coral reefs around the globe were to disappear, the annual capital damages to

       property caused by storm-related flooding would more than double (118%
       increase) from almost $4 billion to over $8 billion USD.
            o The global flood protection savings provided by coral reefs. (Beck et al 2018)
 

• A marsh with a 50% vegetation cover, regardless of the morphology, will likely

       reduce storm wave energy by up to 95% within the first 100m of the marsh.
            o How much marsh restoration is enough to deliver wave attenuation coastal
                protection benefits? (Castagno et al 2022)
 

• Globally, over 85% of oyster reefs have been lost to due to extraction, habitat

       degradation, and invasive species invasion.
             o Oyster reefs at risk and recommendations for conservation, restoration, and
                management. (Beck et al. 2011)
 

• The protection provided by all the coral reefs in the United States averts over $1.8

       billion USD in flood-related damages each year.
               o The value of US coral reefs for flood risk reduction. (Reguero et al. 2021)
 

• Annually, the existing mangroves in the Philippines reduce the risk of flooding to

       613,500 people and prevent over $1 billion worth of damages to property.
             o Valuing the protection services of mangroves at national scale: The Philippines.
                (Menendez et al. 2018)
 

• Nature-based adaptation solutions, including wetland, oyster reef, and barrier

       island restoration, could avert between ~$50-65 billion of climate-related damages
       to infrastructure in the Gulf region by the year 2050.
            o Comparing the cost effectiveness of nature-based and coastal adaptation: A
                case study from the Gulf Coast of the United States. (Reguero et al. 2018)
 

• The projected degradation of Florida’s coral reefs, and subsequent increase in

       flood risk, is estimated to cost over $823 million USD in direct and indirect costs,
       annually.
            o Rigorously Valuing the Impact of Projected Coral Reef Degradation on Coastal
                Hazard Risk in Florida. (Storlazzi et al. 2021)
 

• During Hurricane Sandy, naturally occurring wetlands provided protection against

       $625 million worth of direct flood damages.
            o The Value of Coastal Wetlands for Flood Damage Reduction in the Northeastern
                USA. (Narayan et al. 2017)

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