A research team from the US Army Corps of Engineers Engineer Research and Development Center (USACE ERDC) and the University of Georgia’s Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems (UGA IRIS) recently published a new technical report titled “Embracing Biodiversity on Engineered Coastal Infrastructure through Structured Decision-Making and Engineering With Nature®.
Abstract: Extreme weather variation, natural disasters, and anthropogenic actions negatively impact coastal communities through flooding and erosion. To safeguard coastal settlements, shorelines are frequently reinforced with seawalls and bulkheads. Hardened shorelines, however, result in biodiversity loss and environmental deterioration. The creation of sustainable solutions that engineer with nature is required to lessen natural and anthropogenic pressures. Nature-based solutions (NbS) are a means to enhance biodiversity and improve the environment while meeting engineering goals. To address this urgent need, the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineering With Nature® (EWN) program balances economic, environmental, and social benefits through collaboration. This report presents how design and engineering practice can be enhanced through organized decision-making and landscape architectural renderings that integrate engineering, science, and NbS to increase biodiversity in coastal marine habitats. When developing new infrastructure or updating or repairing existing infrastructure, such integration can be greatly beneficial. Further, drawings and renderings exhibiting EWN concepts can assist in decision-making by aiding in the communication of NbS designs. Our practical experiences with the application of EWN have shown that involving landscape architects can play a critical role in effective collaboration and result in solutions that safeguard coastal communities while maintaining or enhancing biodiversity.
The author team from USACE ERDC includes Burton Suedel, Kyle McKay and Amanda Tritinger. The authors from UGA IRIS include lead author Emily Dolatowski, Jon Calabria, Matthew Bilskie, James Byers, Kelsey Broich and Brock Woodson. The group is made up of multiple engineers, ecologists, landscape designers and coastal infrastructure experts.
The report includes renderings exploring thin-layer placement, living shorelines, seawalls, revetments, bulkheads, detached breakwaters and jetties, sills, tidal control structures (such as dykes and tide gates) and groynes. The authors outline a strategy for enhancing biodiversity in these different forms of coastal infrastructure at various geographical and temporal scales.
Access the full report here.
Featured image: Jolo Diaz via Pexels.com
Comments are closed