1) Natural infrastructure like coral reefs can help sustain coastal populations by reducing risks from hazards. Coral reefs attenuate wave energy and storms surges, providing coastal protection. 2) Assessing the risk reduction and economic benefits of natural infrastructure requires quantifying hazards, exposure, damages with and without the ecosystem. For example, modeling showed reefs in Mexico reduced risk of 1-in-25 year losses by $23 million. 3) Restoration of degraded reefs can help regain their coastal protection functions. A pilot project in Mexico transplanted corals to stabilize shorelines and decrease erosion, showing restoration provides benefits within a few years.

1. SF, March 9, 2017
Connecting natural infrastructure science to
sustainability of coastal populations:
example of coral reefs
Borja. G. Reguero, PhD
M.W. Beck, S. Narayan, J. Raepple
K. McLeod, F. Secaira

2. With …

3. 1. TNC & CRR
2. What is “natural” infrastructure?
3. How we assess Risk & the Economics of Adaptation
4. Coral reefs as natural infrastructure. Example 1. Making the case
5. Coral reefs as natural infrastructure. Example 2. Restoration
1. Conclusions, open questions, future research

4. TNC

5. K. McLeod & M.W. Beck

6. Coastal Funding for Conservation & Infrastructure (10 Yrs)
Why?
we spend nearly 30 times more on
(re)building coastal gray infrastructure
around the world than we do on coastal
conservation (green infrastructure).
Blog postMcCreless and Beck (2017)
1-3%?

7. How?

8. o Applications
o Science
o Outreach
Risk Reduction
Climate Adaptation
Conservation
And Environmental
Goals
New Priorities and
Actions
o Innovative financing
What?

9. EcoDRR
EbAEcosystem-based Adaptation
Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction

10. 1. TNC & CRR
2. What is “natural” infrastructure?
3. How we assess Risk & the Economics of Adaptation
4. Coral reefs as natural infrastructure. Example 1. Making the case
5. Coral reefs as natural infrastructure. Example 2. Restoration
1. Conclusions, open questions, future research

12. 12
Coastal Engineering with Natural Infrastructure: Example
UC SANTA CRUZ | THE NATURE CONSERVANCY

13. How much do we need to raise our defenses?
Opportunity:
Can we Use NNBD cover this “protection deficit”?

14. Eco-engineering: Connections
1. Risk deficit requires all options.
2. New Era of Sustainable Development: Stronger global interest and demand
then ever before (SFDRR 2015-2030, SDGs, UNFCCC, Adaptation Fund,
UNISDR, etc.).
3. Tremendous infrastructure upgrading globally.
4. Environmental degradation increases Risk
Opportune time for cross-disciplinary integration (planners, ecologists,
engineers) with multiple objectives/outcomes.

15. 15
Coastal Engineering Typologies
UC SANTA CRUZ | THE NATURE CONSERVANCY
Traditional Grey Infrastructure
Wave Attenuation Physical Protection
Nature-Based Approaches
Wave Attenuation Physical Protection
Beach & Dune Systems, Island Barriers
Short
Waves
Long
Waves
Reefs (Coral/Oyster)
Coastal Vegetation Coastal Vegetation
• Saltmarshes / Wetlands
• Mangroves
• Seagrasses / Kelp
• Coastal Forests

16. 1. TNC & CRR
2. What is “natural” infrastructure?
3. How we assess Risk & the Economics of Adaptation
4. Coral reefs as natural infrastructure. Example 1. Making the case
5. Coral reefs as natural infrastructure. Example 2. Restoration
1. Conclusions, open questions, future research

17. 17UC SANTA CRUZ | THE NATURE CONSERVANCY
Reefs
Wind-Waves
• Global coral reefs
• Mexico Quintana Roo Mesoamerican
Reef
• USA territories – High Res (ongoing)
• Puerto Morelos – High Res (ongoing)
Coastal Vegetation: Wetland &
Mangroves
Storm Surge
• US-Sandy (Lloyd’s, RMS)
• Philippines Mangroves (World Bank-
WAVES; ongoing)
• Global Mangroves (ongoing)
• Gulf of Mexico
• US Mexico – Quintana Roo (ongoing)
• Reef and Wetland restoration cases
http://oceanwealth.org
http://maps.coastalresilience.org
Project Portfolio (2014+)
Dollar-value of
existing ecosystems for RR
Dollar-value of
“New Green” for RR

18. 18UC SANTA CRUZ | THE NATURE CONSERVANCY
Economics of Coastal Adaptation
Quantification Framework
Hazard Socioec. Exposure Damages
• How strong?
• How frequent?
• How well built?• Where?
• What?
• How many?
RISK
Future?
Future?
ADAPTATION
Attenuate hazard Modify Damage
function
Distribution of
assets
Adaptationto
Climate
Change
Benefit/Cos
Benefit (Net present value of damages averted)

19. Reguero et al (in review)
Ex. US Gulf Coast
Risk and Drivers
High economic growth

20. Economics of Coastal Adaptation
Gulf of Mexico Example – Cost : Benefit Analysis
20UC SANTA CRUZ | THE NATURE CONSERVANCY
Valuation
Total Climate Risk $162.2bn. Values for the Year 2030 (assuming low economic pathway; 2% disc rate)
Source Reguero, Beck, Bresch, et al (2016)
Reguero et al (in review)

21. Connecting Risk to social aspects
How risk changes when we consider Social Vulnerability?

22. 1. TNC & CRR
2. What is “natural” infrastructure?
3. How we assess Risk & the Economics of Adaptation
4. Coral reefs as natural infrastructure. Example 1.
Making the case
5. Coral reefs as natural infrastructure. Example 2. Restoration
1. Conclusions, open questions, future research

23. Mesoamerican Reef in Mexico
Pta. Cancun
Pto. Morelos

24. Reefs in coastal protection
Lowe and Falter (2015)

25. 25UC SANTA CRUZ | THE NATURE CONSERVANCY
Mapping Ocean Wealth
Quantification Framework
Hazard Socioec. Exposure Damages
• How strong?
• How frequent?
• How well built?• Where?
• What?
• How many?
RISK
1. Role of the Ecosystem in coastal
protection
2. Loss of Ecosystem

26. 26UC SANTA CRUZ | THE NATURE CONSERVANCY
Mapping Ocean Wealth
Quintana Roo Example: Hazard
1. Simulate Storms
 Random walks using the historical
record of1851-2014 (from over 1,500
historical records, a statistical set of
25,000 storms)
2. Footprint of Each Storm
 Wind, Rainfall, Waves and Storm
Surge (*) parametrical models
corrected with UNAM numerical
simulations with stationary winds
3. Calculate Statistics: Return Periods
 Frequency curves for each hazard
and the Total Water Level

27. 27UC SANTA CRUZ | THE NATURE CONSERVANCY
Mapping Ocean Wealth
Quintana Roo Example: Exposure
1. Population (present and future)
2. Built Capital (residential, industrial, services & Government)
3. Hotels

28. 28UC SANTA CRUZ | THE NATURE CONSERVANCY
Mapping Ocean Wealth
Quintana Roo Example: Damage Calculation
1. Define the hazard
2. Model the effect
on reefs & dunes
3. Calculate
damages on
flooding on
exposure
4. Repeat with no
ecosystem
5. For all scenarios

29. v
v
1 m
v
1 m
Modeling Reef Loss
Loss in
(1) geometry and
(2) friction
Biodiversity?

30. 30
Mapping Ocean Wealth
Quintana Roo Example: Risk
58
89
160
282
337
424
15
23
31
20
30
3525%
26%
19%
7%
9… 8%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
-
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
10 25 50 100 175 250
Percentageofcurrentrisk
MillUSD
Return Periods (yr)
with reef no reef Percentage of change
Value of Reef
• Benefit for 1-in-25 yr loss = 23 mill $ (+47.9 mill$)
• AEB= 3.2 mill $/yr (+6.7 mill $/yr)
Emily
(2005)
Dean
(2007)
Wilma
(2005)

31. N
“
a
o
WD4R

32. Regional
O(500km) O(50 km) O(5 km)
Local
O(50km)
Restoration
O(5km)
Asess value of the
infrastructure
Design a functional
solution

33. 1. TNC & CRR
2. What is “natural” infrastructure?
3. How we assess Risk & the Economics of Adaptation
4. Coral reefs as natural infrastructure. Example 1. Making the case
5. Coral reefs as natural infrastructure. Example 2.
Restoration
1. Conclusions, open questions, future research

35. Current & sediment tranport
Mangrove Lost
Field inspection (28 Jan.) and local reporting
The Coastal Problem

37. 37
How the
reefs work
in the bay
Waves

38. Hsu and Evans (1989);
Gonzalez and Medina (2001);
Hsu et al (2010)
An unrecognized role in
stabilizing the shoreline

39. 1.Lower Energy
2.Less tangential to shore
Likely outer reef storm
damage & erosion led to:
DEGRADATION  COASTAL PROBLEMS!

40. Reefs for coastal protection

41. Navigating the barge

42. Unloading a barge

43. Divers carrying and packing the baskets

44. The reef at low tide

45. 2-tier pilot submerged breakwater structure (this one with blocks) with
corals from the nursery placed along their sides

46. Fish usage is high, and
continues to attract
attention from the local
fishers
2016
2017 – in 2 weeks…
Coral transplants have stabilized or
the rate of loss has decreased

48. Conclusions
• Ecosystems have an economic (and social) value as
natural infrastructure
• We are able to model the (i) hydrodynamics and the (ii)
economics of ecosystems
• But, we need to connect ecosystem health to people-
value (e.g. environmental degradation increases risk)
• And we need pilot studies to design innovative
approaches
• There are also significant challenges…. (shift in planning, regulatory
framework, knowledge gaps, financing, etc).

49. v
vQ1. Damage to the reef (i.e. fragility curves for ecosystems?, when do
they break/fail?)
Q2. How biodiversity (a functional ecosystem) is connected to the
ecosystem services (e.g. coastal protection)?
Q3. What hydrodynamic conditions are better for reef survival?
(e.g. waves and currents  water Temperature?)
Open Questions
for reefs

50. Contact Borja G. Reguero Email
breguero@ucsc.edu
UC SANTA CRUZ | THE NATURE CONSERVANCY
Thank you
Gracias
borja_reguero@tnc.org