Co-Funding Robust Monitoring with Living Shoreline Construction is Critical for Maximizing Beneficial Outcomes

Abstract Huge sums of money (billions) are being spent to combat the loss of valuable coastal ecosystems and human infrastructure through the stabilization of shorelines. The last several decades have seen a large push towards the implementation of nature-based approaches, or living shorelines (LS), that seek to both stabilize shorelines and promote or enhance ecosystem functions and services. A growing body of research has demonstrated ecological benefits of LS restorations. However, our ability to identify specific LS designs or features that most enhance particular ecosystem functions or services remains limited. As a result, we can provide limited guidance on the best designs for future LS projects that will maximize their ecological benefits, and therefore return on investment. Every restoration project is essentially an experiment that can provide rich knowledge of the ecological outcomes, but only if the relevant research and monitoring is properly funded and that information is made widely available to practitioners. Despite the investment of billions of dollars into LS projects, considerably fewer funds are being directed towards research, monitoring, and assessment of these projects. In many cases, funding for monitoring only becomes available after the projects are installed, meaning we are frequently forced to use space-for-time substitution rather than more rigorous and robust designs that include sampling before construction. We call for funding agencies to embed funding for robust monitoring and assessment of these projects, to allow for a greater understanding of the successes and failures, and to more wisely guide future projects.