Protect Our Mangroves, Miami!

Victory! The Miami City Commission voted unanimously to withdraw this ordinance on May 31st 2022. 

The City of Miami is a coastal community on the frontlines of climate change and ongoing resiliency efforts. Given the steep challenges facing South Florida, leaders and local governments should be employing every tool available to protect our coastlines and beaches from the increasing impacts of a warming climate, including sea level rise, coastal erosion, extreme weather events, and ocean acidification. 

Nature-based solutions, and blue carbon ecosystems in particular, are critical to comprehensive and effective resilience planning and Miami is at a critical juncture. The beaches, oceans, and shorelines of Miami play an important role in carbon capture resulting from the natural carbon cycles of mangroves, seagrass meadows, and even coral reefs. These ecosystems have been targeted for their key role as natural and artificial carbon sinks to mitigate the impacts of atmospheric carbon dioxide. 

Mangroves in particular play a central role in blue carbon ecosystems and nature-based solutions, not only for climate mitigation, but also adaptation. They are South Florida's first line of defense against coastal flooding and erosion in the wake of rising seas and extreme weather events like hurricanes. Given the increasing pressures of coastal development and habitat degradation in the City of Miami, it is critical that we protect and restore mangrove habitats along our coasts, not obstruct their restoration and replanting. 

The Surfrider Foundation Miami Chapter has been actively involved in dune and coastal restoration in the region and asked the Miami City Commission to oppose Ordinance 11938.