By Jahson Berhane Alemu I, A. Randall Hughes, Michael J. Osland, Savannah H. Swinea, Kalaina A. Thorne, Rémi Bardou, Christine C. Shepard, and Steven B. Scyphers.
Along the US northern Gulf of Mexico, climate change is reshaping our shorelines. Warmer winters and fewer freezing events are causing mangroves (tropical trees) to expand northward into areas dominated by salt marshes (temperate grasses). This shift has big implications for people and nature. Mangroves offer strong protection against storms and erosion, but their growth can also block waterfront views, reduce shoreline access, and change the habitat for wildlife. For waterfront property owners, these changes raise complex questions about how to adapt, whether to embrace the benefits of mangroves or manage them to preserve traditional salt marsh landscapes. Our study focuses on understanding how waterfront property owners might respond to mangrove expansion in the next years. Their decisions, whether to plant, trim, or remove mangroves, can have ripple effects on the health of the coastal ecosystems and community resilience. For instance, mangroves protect homes from storm surges more effectively than salt marshes, but not everyone sees them as an asset. Some homeowners worry about how mangroves will affect property values or recreational access.
To address these concerns, we suggest targeted outreach that highlights the benefits of mangroves, such as their ability to buffer storm impacts and reduce erosion, coupled with sharing examples from other coastal communities that have successfully embraced mangrove expansion and its co-existence with salt marshes, to help dispel concerns and build trust in these solutions. Additionally, policies and programs that promote neighborhood-based actions, like selective mangrove planting can encourage collective efforts to help preserve salt marsh habitats. These strategies work to strengthen the resilience of individual properties, communities, and the broader coastal landscape.
Relational Thinking 