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Mangroves shelter coastal economic activity from cyclones

Author

Listed:
  • Jacob P. Hochard

    (Department of Economics and Coastal Studies Institute, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858)

  • Stuart Hamilton

    (Department of Geography and Geosciences, Salisbury University, Salisbury, MD 21801)

  • Edward B. Barbier

    (Department of Economics and the School of Global Environmental Sustainability, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523)

Abstract

Mangroves shelter coastlines during hazardous storm events with coastal communities experiencing mangrove deforestation are increasingly vulnerable to economic damages resulting from cyclones. To date, the benefits of mangroves in terms of protecting coastal areas have been estimated only through individual case studies of specific regions or countries. Using spatially referenced data and statistical methods, we track from 2000 to 2012 the impact of cyclones on economic activity in coastal regions inhabited by nearly 2,000 tropical and subtropical communities across 23 major mangrove-holding countries. We use nighttime luminosity to represent temporal trends in coastal economic activity and find that direct cyclone exposure typically results in permanent loss of 5.4–6.7 mo for a community with an average mangrove extent (6.3 m per meter of coastline); whereas, a community with more extensive mangroves (25.6 m per meter of coastline) experiences a loss equivalent to 2.6–5.5 mo. These results suggest that mangrove restoration efforts for protective benefits may be more cost effective, and mangrove deforestation more damaging, than previously thought.

Suggested Citation

  • Jacob P. Hochard & Stuart Hamilton & Edward B. Barbier, 2019. "Mangroves shelter coastal economic activity from cyclones," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 116(25), pages 12232-12237, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:nas:journl:v:116:y:2019:p:12232-12237
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Yamamoto, Yuki, 2023. "Living under ecosystem degradation: Evidence from the mangrove–fishery linkage in Indonesia," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    2. Nguyen Tan Phong & Thai Thanh Luom, 2021. "Configuration of Allocated Mangrove Areas and Protection of Mangrove-Dominated Muddy Coasts: Knowledge Gaps and Recommendations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-13, June.
    3. Rogério Portantiolo Manzolli & David Blanco & Luana Portz & Andrea Yanes & Seweryn Zielinski & César Augusto Ruiz Agudelo & Andres Suarez, 2022. "Large Wood Debris Contributes to Beach Ecosystems but Colombian Beachgoer’s Do Not Recognize It," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-22, July.
    4. Edward B. Barbier & Angela Cindy Emefa Mensah & Michelan Wilson, 2023. "Valuing the Environment as Input, Ecosystem Services and Developing Countries," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 84(3), pages 677-694, March.

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