Mangroves as Coastal Protection for Local Economic Activities from Hurricanes in the Caribbean
In recent decades, hurricane frequency and intensity have increased in the Caribbean Basin. From 2000 to 2012, more than 100 hurricanes impacted lives, infrastructure, and economic activity along the region’s shorelines. Studies suggest that mangro...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2021
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/undefined/174441638210732041/Mangroves-as-Coastal-Protection-for-Local-Economic-Activities-from-Hurricanes-in-the-Caribbean http://hdl.handle.net/10986/36639 |
| Summary: | In recent decades, hurricane
frequency and intensity have increased in the Caribbean
Basin. From 2000 to 2012, more than 100 hurricanes impacted
lives, infrastructure, and economic activity along the
region’s shorelines. Studies suggest that mangrove forests’
dense root systems might mitigate the impact of hurricanes,
which would help stabilize the coastline and prevent erosion
from waves and storms. Although many tropical mangroves are
found on Caribbean coasts, climatic and anthropogenic events
have been clearing these wetland ecosystems at an annual
rate of 1 percent since the 1990s. This study quantifies the
effects of hurricane windstorms on economic activity using
nightlight as a proxy at the highest spatial resolution data
available (1 square kilometer). Using different widths of
the mangrove belt, it measures levels of mangrove natural
protection against the impact of hurricanes and studies the
broader socioeconomic and environmental effects of this
protection. The results suggest that while major hurricanes
reduce nightlight by approximately 2 percent and up to 16
percent in storm surge prone areas, the presence of
mangroves on the coast mitigates the impact of hurricanes,
reducing nightlight by 1–6 percent. |
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