Abstract
Spurred by a widened awareness of the loss of natural coastal habitats and the low biodiversity associated with traditional concrete sea defense structures, ecologically engineered shorelines (i.e., eco-shorelines) as an alternative are gaining traction amongst policymakers and environmental practitioners. However, it remains underinvestigated how society evaluates the intended outcome of transforming manmade seawalls into eco-shorelines, which may hinder their development and implementation. Using Hong Kong as a case study, this paper explores social preferences for various eco-shoreline design alternatives focusing on three key aspects: morphological changes, biodiversity enhancement, and the provision of recreational facilities, via the application of a discrete choice experiment. An online survey was conducted during October to November 2021, from which a total of 308 valid responses were received. The analytical results, based on the mixed logit models and the Equality Constrained Latent Class model, reveal that mangrove eco-shoreline is the most preferred, followed by rocky eco-shoreline and vertical eco-shoreline, while biodiversity enhancement and provision of recreational facilities are less preferred. About 54.9 % of the respondents pay little attention to the amount of donation associated with eco-shoreline implementation, corroborating a relatively strong social preference for transforming existing seawalls into eco-shorelines, irrespective of the amount of donation they might have to make. This study not only sheds additional light into the societal preference and valuation for eco-shoreline implementation, but also generates scientific evidence to inform plans and policies for concurrent coastal protection and biodiversity conservation. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 107906 |
| Journal | Ocean and Coastal Management |
| Volume | 270 |
| Online published | 29 Aug 2025 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Nov 2025 |
Funding
The authors thank the Development Bureau and the Civil Engineering and Development Department of the HKSAR Government for their support and expertise. This project was supported by through commissioned study with a project number PLB(Q)24/2019. The study is also partially supported by the State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution (SKLMP) at City University of Hong Kong, and the provision of regular research funding from the Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC) of the HKSAR Government (project number PJ9448002). However, any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not reflect the views of the HKSAR Government. Peng Liu thanks the financial support from the Hong Kong Scholar Scheme.
Research Keywords
- Discrete choice experiment
- Eco-engineered shoreline
- Shoreline armoring
- Shoreline retrofit
- Social preference
