SCCF asking coastal property owners to take survey
The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation wants to learn more about how much Hurricane Ian damage may have been reduced where coastal property owners’ and renters’ homes and businesses were protected by mangroves or coastal dunes.
It has created a short survey for those who rent or own property close to the shoreline.
The survey should not take more than 10 minutes to complete.
STORY BEHIND THE SURVEY
The SCCF reported that among the many services they provide, mangroves and coastal dunes serve as a natural defense against storms. Despite the sheer magnitude of the wind, waves and water that Ian introduced to Southwest Florida last fall, the SCCF has heard of many instances where coastal property owners believe things would have significantly been worse if they did not have a dune or mangroves between them and the onrushing storm.
SCCF’s Pfeifer Fellow Professor Emeritus Thomas T. Ankersen, with the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law, and SCCF Coastal Resilience Manager Dr. Carrie Schuman created the short survey for coastal property owners to share details about how their property fared.
“The scientific literature contains a lot of data and analysis suggesting the importance of mangroves and dunes in protecting property, but very little of it focuses on individual properties,” Ankersen said. “Beyond protection from wind, waves and water, mangroves trap debris which could otherwise inflict additional damage. Hopefully, we can get some sense of the contributions of these natural systems to coastal property protection.”
“When we talk about building back more resiliently, we want the conversation to include building back our natural infrastructure,” Schuman said.
To take the survey, visit https://sccf.org/what-we-do/environmental-policy/coastal-resilience-survey/.
To reach SANIBEL-CAPTIVA CONSERVATION FOUNDATION, please email