Habitats
Both Project GreenShores sites consist of various habitats, including marsh edge, constructed breakwaters, oyster reefs, hardened shoreline, and bare areas. Breakwaters were built at Project GreenShores I in 2003, and at Project GreenShores II in 2007 and 2022, as part of a plan to reduce erosion and enhance habitat at the site. Below are links to each habitat type from which we collect videos at Project GreenShores.
What is a Living Shoreline
Coastal ecosystems across the Gulf of Mexico are threatened by shoreline erosion and the loss of highly productive oyster reefs, submerged vegetation, and emergent marsh wetlands. Private homeowners and environmental managers use a variety of shoreline restoration strategies to protect coastal systems and in recent years ‘living shoreline’ strategies have gained traction. Living shorelines incorporate natural materials such as wetland vegetation and oyster reefs to reduce nearshore wave activity, stabilize shoreline sediment, and promote other ecosystem services. Living shorelines provide an alternative to traditional ‘shoreline hardening’ techniques and avoid some of their downfalls.
Explore the Habitats
Summary Results
We observed between 7 (Control Offshore) and 32 (Breakwaters) species in each habitat across the Project GreenShores sites.
