Valuing the flood risk reduction benefits of Florida’s mangroves

The findings of this study make a strong economic case for protecting Florida’s remaining mangroves and restoring mangrove areas as a risk reduction strategy. The results point to the high value of mangroves as natural capital and national risk reduction infrastructure both in tropical areas where they already exist and in more temperate regions across the Gulf of Mexico where mangroves are currently expanding their range.

The flood reduction benefits of mangroves are sizeable enough to inform habitat restoration priorities and nature-based risk reduction strategies. These opportunities could include pre-hazard mitigation and disaster recovery spending on mangroves, green municipal bonds to fund restoration, and potential premium reductions from public and private insurance plans for mangrove conservation and restoration.