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Coastal Protection

The Florida Wildlife Federation understands that our coasts provide not only a huge economic driver for Floridians, but critical habitat for sea turtles and a wide array of birdlife. We successfully helped ban oil drilling in state marine waters, and are an ardent defender of the federal Coastal Barriers Resources Act (CBRA), which stops taxpayer dollars being used to build on highly erodible coastlands. 

Let’s Protect Florida’s coasts

As seas rise and storm intensity increases, we must be smarter about coastal construction. Beaches are dynamic and naturally changing systems; seawater and tides historically move sand from place to place. Therefore, beach armoring can be problematic as it simply moves the problem of beach erosion down the coast.

From leatherback and green sea turtles to numerous shorebirds like ruddy turnstones and lesser yellowlegs, our beaches provide critical havens, nesting sites, and feeding grounds. We can enjoy the tremendous benefits of our beaches and still allow the native creatures to flourish if we act knowledgeably and responsibly.

To protect our beaches, the Florida Wildlife Federation successfully promoted the banning of oil drilling near our coasts.

04/14/21
'The Guardian' Asks: Will Florida Be Lost Forever To The Climate Crisis?
WUSF Public Media
04/08/21
Retreat from coastlines? Politicians don’t want to talk about it.
Grist
07/30/20
Rising Seas Could Menace Millions Beyond Shorelines, Study Finds
New York Times
07/26/20
Latest climate study predicts disaster for oceans, coastlines and life as we know it
The Hill
2011-OPPA-01
Climate Change Policy Statement
FEMA
CBRA
Coastal Barrier Resource System
US Fish and Wildlife Service
Participant 2020