Read full paper at: http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=53529#.VMdL8yzQrzE Author(s) J. Luke Boutwell * , John V. Westra Affiliation(s) Department of Agricultural Economics, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, USA . ABSTRACT Communities along the USA coast are highly vulnerable to coastal storms. Trends in population growth, climatic events and land use are likely to exacerbate future damages. Coastal management entities are faced with decisions about how to manage resources in a manner that improves environmental quality and provides the maximum benefit for coastal populations. This is particularly true along the USA coast of the Gulf of Mexico, where coastal storms are common, land loss is rapid and states are planning ambitious and costly coastal restoration projects. Many of these projects are intended to mitigate hurricane damages by using wetlands as storm buffers. The physical science literature s...
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