Dig into Dunes: Restoring Beach Ecosystems with Plants
Lynn Martin | Published on 12/23/2024
On December 12, 2024, the LWV Environmental Affairs Committee had a “field trip” to learn about the plantings on the beach dunes with the Naples Botanical Garden. The Naples Botanical Garden made a presentation followed by a guided walk on the dunes. The presentation discussed the importance of the dunes to protect property from flooding and storm surge; to create a wildlife habitat, and as an economic driver of tourism. Building and vegetating the dunes is an important way to address coastal erosion and build resiliency. The Botanical Garden has been studying the dune ecosystem since 2019. They have studied the types of plants that thrive and will maintain other plants and animals. At the time of Hurricane Ian, there were three planted test sites which provided a proof-of-concept opportunity. In addition, the Garden has developed protocols for the collection of seeds, propagation of plants and effective planting. When the County needed to replace the dunes, after Hurricane Ian, the Botanical Garden was ready to partner with a commercial grower and the installer to revegetate the dunes. There are 16 special plants in the palette that will be grown on the dunes. The planting will occur as a “tossed salad” approach rather than rows of one type. The revegetating will take place over the next several weeks. After the dunes have been planted, the community needs to keep off the dunes and the plants, so the plants will take root before the next hurricane season.