Coral transplantation in urban environments: Insights from colony survival and growth on artificial frames versus the seabed.

Urban and green transitions require infrastructures that can cause pressure on coastal ecosystems. In northern Taiwan, plans to convert an oil-fired power plant to gas would necessitate a port terminal construction, threatening nearby corals and marine life. To mitigate construction impacts, the relocation of affected corals was proposed. We conducted a transplantation study, prior to such a large-scale coral relocation, to assess its feasibility and to identify potential risks associated with the marginal location of northern Taiwan for tropical corals. Five coral species, representative of the different ecological strategies, were selected. We used two methods (artificial frames and seabed cementation) to transplant 246 colony fragments to two pre-selected sites. Over a year, we monitored fragment survival and growth, in parallel with environmental conditions. We found that survival and growth were significantly influenced by transplantation methods, sites, and species. The difference between methods revealed biotic (predation by corallivorous snails) and abiotic (mechanical damage by waves) factors affecting coral survival and growth. Acropora species exhibited high growth, but also high mortality, consistent with their known ecology. Other species presented slower growth but higher survival. One site provided a better environment for corals, which we attributed to topography and reduced exposure. Overall, this study provides interesting insights into relocating corals in a high-latitude and urban coral ecosystem, highlighting risks related to mechanical damages and predation.

Spatio-temporal coupling analysis and tipping points detection of China's coastal integrated land-human activity-ocean system.

The coastal zone is typically highly developed and its ocean environment is vastly exposed to the onshore activities. Land-based pollution, as the "metabolite" of terrestrial human activities, significantly impacts the ocean environment. Although numerous studies have investigated these effects, few have quantified the interactions among land-human activity-ocean across both spatial and temporal scales. In this study, we have developed a land-human activity-ocean systemic framework integrating the coupling coordination degree model and tipping point to quantify the spatiotemporal dynamic interaction mechanism among the land-based pollution, human activities, and ocean environment in China from 2001 to 2020. Our findings revealed that the overall coupling coordination degree of the China's coastal zone increased by 36.9 % over last two decades. Furthermore, the effect of human activities on China's coastal environment remained within acceptable thresholds, as no universal tipping points for coastal pollution or ocean environment has been found over the 20-year period. Notably, the lag time for algal blooms, the key indicator of ocean environment health, was found to be 0-3 years in response to the land economic development and 0-4 years in response to land-based pollution. Based on the differences in spatiotemporal interactions among land-human activity-ocean system, we employed cluster analysis to categorize China's coastal provinces into four types and to develop appropriate management measures. Quantifying the interaction mechanism within the land-human activity-ocean system could aid decision-makers in creating sustainable coastal development strategies. This enables efficient use of land and ocean resources, supports coastal conservation and restoration efforts, and fosters effective management recommendations to enhance coastal sustainability and resilience.

Environmental impacts of shore revetment.

Coastal structures, especially revetments, have been widely implemented to protect properties and infrastructures from erosive waves during storms. While being incompatible with nature-based solutions, revetments have still been constructed due to their effectiveness in solving coastal erosion. One of the most crucial concerns that should be considered as part of a revetment implementation is how to diminish and manage its possible impacts on the environment. Thus, a thorough understanding of how the revetments affect the surrounding environment must be achieved. This article critically reviews and summarizes their economic considerations, and environmental impacts on beach morphology, hydrodynamics, ecology, aesthetics, beach accessibility, beach recreation, and other notable aspects. Coastal practitioners and researchers, who are involved with the revetments, may increase their environmental awareness before implementing them. The revetments can be an excellent option to protect the eroding shoreline, if their possible environmental consequences are well-understood and properly managed.

A comprehensive review on sustainable coastal zone management in Bangladesh: Present status and the way forward.

Bangladesh, a coastal developing nation with a diverse sustainable biodiversity of natural resources is currently focused upon by international communities as a result of its high potential of the coastal zone (CZ) with natural gas. Sustainable Coastal Zone Management (SCZM) is key to its national development. SCZM refers to the management of coastal resources in order to provide secure and alternative livelihoods, as well as to manage all types of coastal hazards and social and cultural well-being in order to ensure long-term productivity and minimize environmental impact. This paper aims to delineate the current initiatives and status of coastal management in Bangladesh, highlighting key issues such as climate changes, sea level rise, tropical cyclones, coastal and marine pollution, coastal erosions, saltwater intrusions, and mangrove degradations as well as the future trend in Bangladesh which will facilitate sustainable development by emphasizing the social, ecological, and economic pillars of sustainability. Unsustainable coastal development practices in Bangladesh are going to damage the coastal ecosystems, particularly mangrove forests and coral reefs, which provide protection against tropical cyclones caused by global climate change and coastal erosions. The paper concludes by outlining a roadmap toward achieving SCZM in Bangladesh. The road to achieving SCZM requires collaboration, integration of scientific research, policy frameworks, community engagement, capacity building, and long-term commitment from all stakeholders involved. So, it is required to address all kinds of coastal issues and reframes all existing coastal management practices to ensure a healthy productive ecosystem to achieve SCZM as well as the sustainable development of the country.

Drivers of mangrove vulnerability and resilience to tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic Basin.

The North Atlantic Basin (NAB) has seen an increase in the frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones since the 1980s, with record-breaking seasons in 2017 and 2020. However, little is known about how coastal ecosystems, particularly mangroves in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, respond to these new "climate normals" at regional and subregional scales. Wind speed, rainfall, pre-cyclone forest height, and hydro-geomorphology are known to influence mangrove damage and recovery following cyclones in the NAB. However, previous studies have focused on local-scale responses and individual cyclonic events. Here, we analyze 25 years (1996-2020) of mangrove vulnerability (damage after a cyclone) and 24 years (1996-2019) of short-term resilience (recovery after damage) for the NAB and subregions, using multi-annual, remote sensing-derived databases. We used machine learning to characterize the influence of 22 potential variables on mangrove responses, including human development and long-term climate trends. Our results document variability in the rates and drivers of mangrove vulnerability and resilience, highlighting hotspots of cyclone impacts, mangrove damage, and loss of resilience. Cyclone characteristics mainly drove vulnerability at the regional level. In contrast, resilience was driven by site-specific conditions, including long-term climate trends, pre-cyclone forest structure, soil organic carbon stock, and coastal development (i.e., proximity to human infrastructure). Coastal development is associated with both vulnerability and resilience at the subregional level. Further, we highlight that loss of resilience occurs mostly in areas experiencing long-term drought across the NAB. The impacts of increasing cyclone activity on mangroves and their coastal protection service must be framed in the context of compound climate change effects and continued coastal development. Our work offers descriptive and spatial information to support the restoration and adaptive management of NAB mangroves, which need adequate health, structure, and density to protect coasts and serve as Nature-based Solutions against climate change and extreme weather events.

Limits to blue economy: challenges to accessing fishing livelihoods in Ghana's port communities.

The blue economy concept has drawn global attention to the maritime economy, recognising expanding maritime industries such as shipping as crucial drivers of economic growth. In recent decades, seaports have correspondingly witnessed significant expansion, allowing them to play a substantial role in achieving blue growth. This study examines the challenges faced by small-scale fishing actors in gaining access to fishing livelihoods in coastal fishing communities close to Ghanaian ports. Drawing on political ecology, the study demonstrates how securitisation in port areas and dispossession has resulted in unstable fishing livelihoods in port communities. The study shows that the growth-oriented goals of port expansions and port security measures have restricted fishing communities' access to coastal fishing spaces and caused congestion in the canoe bays of Ghana's fishing harbours. In addition, the urbanisation around the ports has impacted fishers' ability to meet the rising cost of living in fishing communities with fishing incomes. Furthermore, the study discusses how the new Jamestown fishing harbour complex project has displaced small-scale fishing actors and become a site of contestation between a coastal fishing community and local government authorities. In conclusion, as coastal fishing actors lose their only source of livelihood, resistance may escalate into different forms of maritime conflicts in the blue economy. The study recommends addressing the marginalisation and exclusion of traditional coastal fishing livelihoods to ensure a more equitable blue economy.

The population structure, sex ratio and reproductive potential of limpets (Patella spp.) on natural shores and artificial structures in the Irish Sea.

Artificial structures often support depauperate communities compared to natural rocky shores. Understanding variation in ecological success across shore types, particularly regarding habitat-forming species or those with structuring roles, is important to determine how artificial structure proliferation may influence ecosystem functioning and services. We investigated the population structure, sex ratio and reproductive potential of limpets on natural shores and artificial structures on Irish Sea coasts. Limpets were generally less abundant and Patella vulgata populations were often male dominated on artificial structures compared to natural shores, suggesting that shore type may influence these factors. P. vulgata length varied across sites within the Irish Sea (nested in coast and shore type) in autumn/winter, as well as temporally across sites along the Welsh coast. There was no difference in the proportion of P. vulgata in advanced stages of gonad development across shore types. The results suggest that rip-rap artificial structures may provide a habitat comparable to natural shores, however, the addition of ecological engineering interventions on artificial structures may allow limpet populations to better approximate those on natural shores.

Between the devil and the deep blue sea: Trends, drivers, and impacts of coastal reclamation in Malaysia and way forward.

Cities all over the world are edging further into the ocean. Coastal reclamation is a global conservation issue with implications for ocean life, ecosystems, and human well-being. Using Malaysia as a case study, the coastal reclamation trends over three decades (1991-2021) were mapped using Landsat images and Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) via the Google Earth Engine platform. The changes in drivers and impacts of these coastal expansions throughout the decades were also reviewed. Twelve out of the 14 states in Malaysia had planned, active, or completed reclamations on their shorelines. Between 1991 and 2021, an absolute area of 82.64 km2 has been or will be reclaimed should all the projects be completed. The most reported driver for coastal expansion in Malaysia is for development and modernization (41 %), followed by rise in human population (20 %), monetary gains from the development of prime land (15 %), and agriculture and aquaculture activities (9 %). Drivers such as reduction of construction costs, financial advantage of prime land, oil and gas, advancement of technology, and tourism (Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H)) had only started occurring within the last decade, while others have been documented since the 1990's. Pollution is the most reported impact (24 %) followed by disruption of livelihoods, sources of income and human well-being (21 %), destruction of natural habitats (17 %), decrease in biodiversity (11 %), changes in landscapes (10 %), erosion / accretion (8 %), threat to tourism industry (6 %), and exposure to wave surges (3 %). Of these, changes in landscape, shoreline alignment, seabed contour, and coastal groundwater, as well as wave surges had only started to surface as impacts in the last two decades. Efforts to protect existing natural coastal and marine ecosystems, restore degraded ones, and fund endeavours that emphasize nature is needed to support sustainable development goals for the benefit of future generations.

Effects of sediment on spore performance as a potential constraint on kelp distribution.

Kelp habitats contribute to marine productivity and diversity, making understanding the constraints on their distribution important. In the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Alaria esculenta occupies a subset of Saccharina latissima's range. Since tolerance to sedimentation by early life stages was suggested to cause this contrasting distribution, we tested the influence of sediment levels on spore attachment and development. For both species, the proportion of attached spores that developed decreased with increasing sediment. However, spore attachment and gametophyte density increased with sediment concentration but only for Saccharina. At the maximum sediment level examined, spore attachment and gametophyte densities of the two species were similar, contrary to the idea that sediment effects on early life stages explain differences in adult distribution. Further investigation, particularly with higher sediment loads, is required to confirm this conclusion. As turbidity is increasing globally, understanding the mechanisms underpinning changes in seaweed distribution will facilitate appropriate local-scale management.

Sedimentary organic carbon and nitrogen stocks of intertidal seagrass meadows in a dynamic and impacted wetland: Effects of coastal infrastructure constructions and meadow establishment time.

Seagrass meadows, through their large capacity to sequester and store organic carbon in their sediments, contribute to mitigate climatic change. However, these ecosystems have experienced large losses and degradation worldwide due to anthropogenic and natural impacts and they are among the most threatened ecosystems on Earth. When a meadow is impacted, the vegetation is partial- or completely lost, and the sediment is exposed to the atmosphere or water column, resulting in the erosion and remineralisation of the carbon stored. This paper addresses the effects of the construction of coastal infrastructures on sediment properties, organic carbon, and total nitrogen stocks of intertidal seagrass meadows, as well as the size of such stocks in relation to meadow establishing time (recently and old established meadows). Three intertidal seagrass meadows impacted by coastal constructions (with 0% seagrass cover at present) and three adjacent non-impacted old-established meadows (with 100% seagrass cover at present) were studied along with an area of bare sediment and two recent-established seagrass meadows. We observed that the non-impacted areas presented 3-fold higher percentage of mud and 1.5 times higher sedimentary organic carbon stock than impacted areas. Although the impacted area was relatively small (0.05-0.07 ha), coastal infrastructures caused a significant reduction of the sedimentary carbon stock, between 1.1 and 2.2 Mg OC, and a total loss of the carbon sequestration capacity of the impacted meadow. We also found that the organic carbon stock and total nitrogen stock of the recent-established meadow were 30% lower than those of the old-established ones, indicating that OC and TN accumulation within the meadows is a continuous process, which has important consequences for conservation and restoration actions. These results contribute to understanding the spatial variability of blue carbon and nitrogen stocks in coastal systems highly impacted by urban development.

A coupling methodology of the analytic hierarchy process and entropy weight theory for assessing coastal water quality.

Rapid economic development in coastal areas has gradually increased the risk of coastal water quality deterioration. The assessment methods of coastal water quality are multifarious, but many depend on either subjective judgment or objective calculation. We proposed a weighted sum methodology by integrating the subjective analytic hierarchy process and objective entropy theory (AHP-entropy weight methodology) to obtain an overall evaluation of coastal water quality. The mathematical models to transform the biochemical and physical parameter values and soluble substance concentrations into index scores have been formulated in comparison to the national water quality classification scheme. The application of the AHP-entropy weight methodology was demonstrated in the nearshore area of Yangjiang city, China, based on 23 seawater sampling stations in autumn 2017 and spring 2018. Datasets including biochemical and physical parameters, nutrients, and heavy metals have been converted into water quality index scores based on the proposed mathematical model. Results revealed that the overall water quality fell into the "good" class in both sampling seasons. The spatial distribution of the water quality index scores demonstrated that the relatively worse water quality occurred in estuarine and nearshore areas, signifying the negative effect of coastal anthropogenic activities. The statistical analyses like the hierarchical cluster analysis interpreted that the river input acted as a main source of pollutants in the study area. The AHP-entropy weight methodology could be a preferred way to assist decision-makers in properly evaluating the current state of coastal water quality in an unbiased, objective manner.

Historical Maps provide insight into a century and a half of habitat change in Fijian coasts.

Meaningful conservation goals require setting baselines derived from long-term ecological records and information that is rare in many regions of the world. Historical data allow us to shift baselines back in time in order to strengthen conservation outcomes in the future.To explore how different histories of land use and development influenced coastal ecosystems in two Fijian cities (Suva and Savusavu), we compared a series of historical navigational charts. These charts recorded change in coral reef area and coastal mangrove forests, as well as expansions of hardened shorelines. We used geographic information systems (GIS) to georeference and make quantitative comparisons starting in 1,840 in Suva and 1876 in Savusavu.Our findings show that, despite increasing urbanization in the capital Suva, available coral reef habitat has not significantly changed in over 150 years, but development has hastened a nearly 50% loss of mangroves. Meanwhile, in the smaller city of Savusavu, coral habitats suffered significant loss in area and an increase in patchiness. As in Suva, shoreline hardening increased in Savusavu, but this change was not accompanied by a loss of mangroves.Nautical charts provided hitherto unavailable information on the long-term loss and alteration of coastal habitats in Fiji. Historical ecology allows scientists to combat shifting baseline syndrome and set measured standards for conservation objectives.

Climate effects on US infrastructure: the economics of adaptation for rail, roads, and coastal development.

Changes in temperature, precipitation, sea level, and coastal storms will likely increase the vulnerability of infrastructure across the USA. Using models that analyze vulnerability, impacts, and adaptation, this paper estimates impacts to railroad, roads, and coastal properties under three infrastructure management response scenarios: No Adaptation; Reactive Adaptation, and Proactive Adaptation. Comparing damages under each of these potential responses provides strong support for facilitating effective adaptation in these three sectors. Under a high greenhouse gas emissions scenario and without adaptation, overall costs are projected to range in the $100s of billions annually by the end of this century. The first (reactive) tier of adaptation action, however, reduces costs by a factor of 10, and the second (proactive) tier reduces total costs across all three sectors to the low $10s of billions annually. For the rail and road sectors, estimated costs for Reactive and Proactive Adaptation scenarios capture a broader share of potential impacts, including selected indirect costs to rail and road users, and so are consistently about a factor of 2 higher than prior estimates. The results highlight the importance of considering climate risks in infrastructure planning and management.

Artificial shorelines lack natural structural complexity across scales.

From microbes to humans, habitat structural complexity plays a direct role in the provision of physical living space, and increased complexity supports higher biodiversity and ecosystem functioning across biomes. Coastal development and the construction of artificial shorelines are altering natural landscapes as humans seek socio-economic benefits and protection from coastal storms, flooding and erosion. In this study, we evaluate how much structural complexity is missing on artificial coastal structures compared to natural rocky shorelines, across a range of spatial scales from 1 mm to 10 s of m, using three remote sensing platforms (handheld camera, terrestrial laser scanner and uncrewed aerial vehicles). Natural shorelines were typically more structurally complex than artificial ones and offered greater variation between locations. However, our results varied depending on the type of artificial structure and the scale at which complexity was measured. Seawalls were deficient at all scales (approx. 20-40% less complex than natural shores), whereas rock armour was deficient at the smallest and largest scales (approx. 20-50%). Our findings reinforce concerns that hardening shorelines with artificial structures simplifies coastlines at organism-relevant scales. Furthermore, we offer much-needed insight into how structures might be modified to more closely capture the complexity of natural rocky shores that support biodiversity.

Using species connectivity to achieve coordinated large-scale marine conservation efforts in the Red Sea.

In the face of increasing anthropogenic threats, coastal nations need to reach common ground for effective marine conservation. Understanding species' connectivity can reveal how nations share resources, demonstrating the need for cooperative protection efforts. Unfortunately, connectivity information is rarely integrated into the design of marine protected areas (MPAs). This is exemplified in the Red Sea where biodiversity is only nominally protected by a non-cohesive network of small-sized MPAs, most of which are barely implemented. Here, we showcase the potential of using connectivity patterns of flagship species to consolidate conservation efforts in the Red Sea. We argue that a large-scale MPA (LSMPA) would more effectively preserve Red Sea species' multinational migration routes. A connectivity-informed LSMPA approach provides thus one avenue to unite coastal nations toward acting for the common good of conservation and reverse the global decline in marine biodiversity.

Evolutionary responses of marine organisms to urbanized seascapes.

Many of the world's major cities are located in coastal zones, resulting in urban and industrial impacts on adjacent marine ecosystems. These pressures, which include pollutants, sewage, runoff and debris, temperature increases, hardened shorelines/structures, and light and acoustic pollution, have resulted in new evolutionary landscapes for coastal marine organisms. Marine environmental changes influenced by urbanization may create new selective regimes or may influence neutral evolution via impacts on gene flow or partitioning of genetic diversity across seascapes. While some urban selective pressures, such as hardened surfaces, are similar to those experienced by terrestrial species, others, such as oxidative stress, are specific to aquatic environments. Moreover, spatial and temporal scales of evolutionary responses may differ in the ocean due to the spatial extent of selective pressures and greater capacity for dispersal/gene flow. Here, we present a conceptual framework and synthesis of current research on evolutionary responses of marine organisms to urban pressures. We review urban impacts on genetic diversity and gene flow and examine evidence that marine species are adapting, or are predicted to adapt, to urbanization over rapid evolutionary time frames. Our findings indicate that in the majority of studies, urban stressors are correlated with reduced genetic diversity. Genetic structure is often increased in urbanized settings, but artificial structures can also act as stepping stones for some hard-surface specialists, promoting range expansion. Most evidence for rapid adaptation to urban stressors comes from studies of heritable tolerance to pollutants in a relatively small number of species; however, the majority of marine ecotoxicology studies do not test directly for heritability. Finally, we highlight current gaps in our understanding of evolutionary processes in marine urban environments and present a framework for future research to address these gaps.

Evaluating the potential area and environmental key factors for Sargassum bed restoration in highly turbid waters of the northwestern Arabian Gulf.

This study evaluates the potential area and the key environmental factors supporting Sargassum bed restoration (SBR) in the highly turbid northwestern Arabian Gulf where rapid coastal development impinges on the marine ecosystem functioning. Water depth was a primary environmental factor governing the distribution of the subtidal macroalgae beds in these turbid waters. The relationship between Sargassum coverage and water depth measured by an echo sounder indicated optimal water depths where the maximum coverage was observed. The availability of stable hard substrate was another key factor introducing heterogeneity in Sargassum coverage. Potential area for the SBR estimated based on the optimal depths was 4.26 km2, whereas only 50% of the potential area (2.19 km2) was currently vegetated due to the absence of hard substrate. The outcomes of this study offer beneficial information toward implementation of the SBR as a part of mitigation measures in future coastal development plans in the region.

Further Evidence that Development and Buffer Zones Do Little To Reduce Mosquito Nuisance from Neighboring Habitat.

Little is known regarding the comparative source-sink relationships between primary mosquito breeding sites (source) and neighboring (sink) environments in heterogeneous landscapes. An exploration of those relationships may provide unique insights into the utility of open-space buffer zone mitigation strategies currently being considered by urban planners to reduce contact between mosquitoes and humans. We investigated the source-sink relationships between a highly productive mosquito habitat and adjacent residential (developed) and rural (undeveloped) coastal environments. Our results suggest that source-sink relationships are unaffected by environment. This conclusion is supported by the high level of synchronicity in daily saltmarsh mosquito abundance observed among all surveyed environments (ß = 0.67-0.79, P < 0.001). This synchronicity occurred despite the uniqueness of each surveyed environment and the considerable distances of open water and land (2.2-2.6 km) between them. Trap catches, which we interpret as expected mosquito biting nuisance, were high in both residential and rural coastal landscapes (309.4 ± 52.84 and 405.3 ± 62.41 mosquitoes/day, respectively). These observations suggest that existing and planned open-space buffer zones will do little to reduce the biting burden caused by highly vagile saltmarsh mosquitoes. This strengthens the need for empirically informed planning guidelines that alert urban planners to the real risks of human residential encroachment on land that is close to highly vagile mosquito habitat.

An integrated coastal vulnerability approach to small islands: The Azores case.

Coastal development in small islands needs adapting to climate and ecosystem changes in the Anthropocene era. Understanding variability of coastal vulnerability along the entire coastline informs coastal planning and management at an island-wide scale as some coastal stretches are more appropriate for big-scale development, while others require additional coastal protection and/or ecosystem conservation. To date, few researches focused on developing macro-scale coastal vulnerability index at an island or archipelagic-scale. This paper fills a knowledge gap by developing an integrated coastal vulnerability index (ICVI) for nine small islands in the Azores archipelago. Considering that degree of vulnerability varies according to human-environment traits of each coastal stretch, this paper characterises integrated coastal vulnerability according to three broad attributes, i.e. exposure to external stressors, biophysical features and socioeconomic characteristics. Using field work, semi-quantitative analysis and GIS, ICVI is a simple and relatively quick approach that provides a broad overview of coastal vulnerability in small island context. A set of six accessible and representative parameters was employed as indicators for this vulnerability assessment, i.e. type of cliff; type of beach; coastal defences; exposure to swell/storm waves; outcrop flooded and land-use. The entire coastline of each island was divided into segments according to their geomorphic compartments and subsequently assigned with a relative ICVI value. Each segment was ranked into five classes ranging from very low to very high based on its relative degree of vulnerability. While majority of the coasts are of moderate relative vulnerability in the Azores, vulnerability varies broadly along the coast between low, moderate and high. The ICVI approach serves as a useful decision support tool to facilitate effective planning and management for the Azores small islands and the methodology has the flexibility of being scaled deep by adding more indicators where necessary and available or scaled out to other small islands.

Towards more sustainable coastal development in the Arabian Gulf: Opportunities for ecological engineering in an urbanized seascape.

The coastlines of many Arabian cities are now dominated by structures such as seawalls, breakwaters and jetties as urbanization has expanded rapidly in the region. Coastal development has substantially degraded the mangrove forests, saltmarshes, seagrass meadows, oyster beds and coral reefs that traditionally provided invaluable ecosystem goods and services to coastal trading villages of the Arabian Gulf. Regional awareness of environmental issues is growing, however, and local governments are increasingly promoting more sustainable urban development. The use of ecological engineering approaches, along with improved environmental policies, may mitigate some past impacts, and will potentially create new development projects with greater ecological benefits for more sustainable growth in the future. In this paper, we discuss past coastal development in the Gulf, and offer advice on how ecological engineering could be used to enhance the ecological benefits of coastal infrastructure, particularly by encouraging the colonization of juvenile corals and fishes. Such approaches can encourage more sustainable development of this increasingly urbanized seascape.