# What is a living shoreline?

## A **protected and stabilized shoreline that is made of natural materials** such as plants, sand, or rock.

![an infographic that illustrates how living shorelines support resilient communities](/facts/living-shorelines.jpg "Living Shorelines Support Resilient Communities")

_Living shorelines use plants or other natural elements to stabilize estuarine coasts, bays, or tributaries. [Infographic Text](#transcript)_

Living shorelines are a [green infrastructure](https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/topics/green-infrastructure.html) technique using native vegetation alone or in combination with low [sills](#) to stabilize the shoreline. Living shorelines provide a natural alternative to ‘hard’ [shoreline stabilization](/facts/shoreline-armoring.html) methods like rip rap or bulkheads, and provide numerous benefits including [nutrient pollution](/facts/nutpollution.html) remediation, essential fish habitat structure, and buffering of shorelines from waves and storms. Research indicates that living shorelines are more resilient than bulkheads in protecting against the effects of hurricanes.

### Infographic Text

#### Living Shorelines Support Resilient Communities

Living shorelines use plants or other natural elements — sometimes in combination with harder shoreline structures — to stabilize estuarine coasts, bays, and tributaries.

-   One square mile of salt marsh stores the carbon equivalent of 76,000 gal of gas annually.
-   Marshes trap sediments from tidal waters, allowing them to grow in elevation as sea level rises.
-   Living shorelines improve water quality, provide fisheries habitat, increase biodiversity, and promote recreation.
-   Marshes and oyster reefs act as natural barriers to waves. 15 ft of marsh can absorb 50% of incoming wave energy.
-   Living shorelines are more resilient against storms than bulkheads.
-   33% of shorelines in the U.S. will be hardened by 2100, decreasing fisheries habitat and biodiversity.
-   Hard shoreline structures like bulkheads prevent natural marsh migration and may create seaward erosion.

##### **Did you know?**

_Living shorelines store carbon for centuries (known as [carbon sequestration](/facts/carbon-cycle.html)), reducing the amount of carbon dioxide flowing in the atmosphere._

##### More **Information**

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Did you know? - *Living shorelines store carbon for centuries (known as [carbon sequestration](https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/carbon-cycle.html)), reducing the amount of carbon dioxide flowing in the atmosphere.*

- [Download Infographic](https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/living-shorelines.pdf)

- [Living Shorelines (audio podcast)](https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/podcast/apr16/dd65-living-shorelines.html)

- [Coastal Blue Carbon (audio podcast)](https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/podcast/may14/mw124-bluecarbon.html)

- [Living Shorelines Primer: National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science](https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/news/primer-living-shorelines-published/)

- [Living Shoreline Planning Tool for North Carolina](https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/news/nccos-nature-conservancy-create-living-shoreline-planning-tool-north-carolina/)

- [Understanding Living Shorelines](https://www.habitat.noaa.gov/restoration/techniques/livingshorelines.html)

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