The Mangrove Mosaic: An Ecological Landscape Design Strategy for Everglades City's Climate Adaptation and Phased Transition Amidst Sea-level Rise
| dc.contributor.author | Nandi, Prema | en |
| dc.contributor.committeechair | Engelke, Jennifer Ann | en |
| dc.contributor.committeemember | Kim, Mintai | en |
| dc.contributor.committeemember | Clements, Terry Lynn | en |
| dc.contributor.department | Landscape Architecture | en |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-12-24T09:01:13Z | en |
| dc.date.available | 2025-12-24T09:01:13Z | en |
| dc.date.issued | 2025-12-23 | en |
| dc.description.abstract | Mangrove-based systems have significant potential to strengthen climate resilience in vulnerable coastal communities by protecting the coastline and adapting to rising sea levels. To explore ways to enhance the unique capabilities of mangroves, an action plan was implemented in Everglades City, Florida, chosen as a focused site. Located at the intersection of major ecological reserves and facing serious threats from significantly higher sea level rise, Everglades City presents ecological and cultural challenges as well as opportunities for land-use transformation. The project aims to restore natural hydrology in a historically disturbed landscape through ecological design strategies. The first step is to restore natural hydrology and appropriate salinity levels to support healthy mangrove growth and ecosystem function. A key part of the project involves "supercharging" mangroves by restoring the coastal mangrove belt and using a combined double-breakwater and Thin-Layer Placement (TLP) method to capture and retain sediments. The thesis also examines adaptation pathways for residents by exploring how mangrove restoration, migration corridors, community-driven decision-making, and long-term resilience planning can collectively create a sustainable future for Everglades City amid increasing climate change challenges. | en |
| dc.description.abstractgeneral | Mangroves are naturally resilient plant species that have been rising with sea levels for the last 8,000 years. It is recent human-induced climate change and higher rates of sea level rise that are pushing them beyond their ability to adapt, and if this situation continues, we might lose all mangrove forests within the next century. This paper explores how coastal mangrove areas can adapt to the rapid sea level rise by 'supercharging" their unique ability to rise with the sea. Focusing on Everglades City, Florida, as the study site, the paper proposes an optimal design solution for these issues. The approach includes removing hard infrastructures that act as barriers to natural hydrology, balancing salinity, and facilitating mangrove migration. The next step involves restoring the coastal mangrove belt through a combination of double-breakwaters and the Thin-Layer Placement (TLP) method to capture and retain sediments. This paper then presents an action plan to illustrate how the study site will evolve, depending on whether the city residents, facing severe climate change impacts along with natural system changes, choose to 'stay and adapt' or 'migrate inland' to secure a safer future, supported by the economic opportunity of mangrove ecotourism. | en |
| dc.description.degree | Master of Landscape Architecture | en |
| dc.format.medium | ETD | en |
| dc.identifier.other | vt_gsexam:45457 | en |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10919/140561 | en |
| dc.language.iso | en | en |
| dc.publisher | Virginia Tech | en |
| dc.rights | In Copyright | en |
| dc.rights.uri | http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ | en |
| dc.subject | Landscape Architecture | en |
| dc.subject | Sediment Accretion | en |
| dc.subject | Thin-Layer Placement | en |
| dc.subject | Double-Breakwater | en |
| dc.subject | Mangrove Restoration | en |
| dc.subject | Mangrove Supercharging | en |
| dc.subject | Managed Retreat | en |
| dc.subject | Ecotourism | en |
| dc.title | The Mangrove Mosaic: An Ecological Landscape Design Strategy for Everglades City's Climate Adaptation and Phased Transition Amidst Sea-level Rise | en |
| dc.type | Thesis | en |
| thesis.degree.discipline | Landscape Architecture | en |
| thesis.degree.grantor | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | en |
| thesis.degree.level | masters | en |
| thesis.degree.name | Master of Landscape Architecture | en |