Exploring the value of Georgia salt marshes for flood risk reduction, and the role of insurance in their protection & restoration.
Climate change, biodiversity loss, and development are threatening our natural ecosystems at an unprecedented rate.
To protect these valuable landscapes, we must look past traditional measures and try new approaches to conservation.
Our Approach
Our team is taking the first step in considering whether an insurance-based mechanism could be developed for the protection and restoration of salt marshes.
Why should we protect salt marshes?
70% of all salt marsh across the eastern seaboard has been lost due to development
Southeast U.S. supports about two-thirds of all remaining salt marsh found along the Atlantic coast – around 1 million acres
Purpose:
Protects coastal communities from flooding and erosion
Serves as essential habitat for commercially and recreationally important fish species
Marshes are at risk from coastal development and rising sea level
About the Project
Objective
The project team will connect insurance agencies with resource management through targeted outreach and stakeholder engagement.
Team
The team is made up of representatives from The University of Georgia and The Nature Conservancy. The team is supported by a steering committee and other stakeholders.
Funding
This project is supported by the Georgia Sea Grant College Program.
Purpose
This project will serve as a pilot study to provide a foundation for scaling up salt marsh valuation insurance studies for Georgia and the southeast U.S. (North Carolina to northeast Florida).
