Pilot Conservation Project to Remediate Damage and Build Coastal Resilience Through Ecosystem-Based Adaptation

The Nature Conservancy created a pilot project in improving coastal resilience through ecosystem-based adaptation using an abandoned marina in Ashton Lagoon. The marina’s metal pilings and berths, constructed in 1994 by a private investor, were causing enormous harm to the site’s mangroves, reefs, and seagrass. The Nature Conservancy contracted Smith Warner to conduct numerical modelling of remediation alternatives and to provide a detailed design, budget, and construction methodology for the preferred solution. Smith Warner designed a system to reconnect the mangroves with the sea, restoring flow to the inner lagoon and creating and maintaining an important habitat for birds, fish, and other marine organisms. Have a peek at how it looks now!