In this article, Senior Coastal Scientist Dawn York, Senior Coastal Engineer Margaret Boshek, and Technical Director Dr. Mike Walkden examine how nature-based solutions can strengthen shorelines and support resilient coastal communities.
Carrot Island: A Model for Sustainable Shoreline Protection
Directly across from the Town of Beaufort, North Carolina, Carrot Island plays a quiet but vital role in protecting this historic coastal town. As part of the Rachel Carson Estuarine Research Reserve, Carrot Island acts as a natural buffer along Taylor’s Creek—helping to shield Beaufort’s historical waterfront from erosion and storm-driven waves. Safeguarding this shoreline is key to preserving both the region’s natural ecosystems and Beaufort’s cultural heritage.
Beaufort, founded in 1709, is North Carolina’s third-oldest town and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its waterfront has long defined its identity as a fishing village and safe harbor, making nearby shoreline protection a shared environmental and community priority.
Between 1993 and 2014, erosion on the eastern end of Carrot Island averaged about 2.5 feet per year, with some areas losing up to 5.5 feet annually. With 1,500 linear feet of shoreline at risk, Moffatt & Nichol led an engineering with nature design, in coordination with the Rachel Carson Estuarine Research Reserve staff, to stabilize and restore the shoreline using marsh plantings, Natrx ExoForms utilized for wave attenuation, and biodegradable Oyster Catcher™ reef-building units. The 3D-printed ExoForms help reduce wave energy while providing substrate to support new habitat for oysters, and other aquatic species.
But the benefits go beyond shoreline erosion control. The hybrid living shoreline provides adaptation space for sediment accretion, thereby enhancing salt marsh and seagrass habitat — offering critical shelter, and food sources for a wide range of aquatic species. The result is a healthier, more resilient coastal ecosystem that strengthens over time.
Carrot Island Living Shoreline demonstrates how nature-based solutions can protect vital historic places like Beaufort by working with, not against, natural systems. It’s a model for how coastal communities can work with partners to adapt to changing seas and more frequent storms.
Moffatt & Nichol’s Approach to Nature-Based Solutions
Restoring eroded habitats is essential not only for the ecosystems themselves but for broader environmental and coastal protection. Dynamic zones, such as beaches, sand dunes, and marshes, serve as a natural boundary with the sea and critical infrastructure. Without intervention, a damaging cycle can unfold: deeper waters lead to stronger wave energy, which displaces even more vegetation and sediment, further deepening the water and exacerbating the issue. To break this cycle, habitat restoration must go beyond simply preserving species and ecosystems; it should also enhance their crucial role in flood and coastal risk management.
Moffatt & Nichol designs shoreline protection measures that balance engineering with ecological restoration. By integrating innovative substrates into our designs, we enhance the natural system by creating oyster reef habitat that absorbs wave energy, reduces erosion, and restores marsh habitat.
Globally, our coastal engineering and environmental teams are working at the forefront of understanding how our shorelines are changing and the impact this has on the communities we live and work in.
In the United Kingdom, Moffatt & Nichol is playing a key role in a four-year collaborative project funded by the Natural Environment Research Council to improve understanding of gravel beach and barrier systems. These environments provide critical functions across the UK, including coastal erosion protection, flood defense, and support for natural habitats.
In partnership with our client and project lead, the British Geological Survey, we are developing advanced models to better understand how these systems respond to changing weather conditions, and to improve our ability to manage them effectively.
From North Carolina’s estuaries to the Gulf Coast and beyond to the beaches of Norfolk in the United Kingdom, our living shoreline work—including Cardiff Beach in California, Lightning Point and Aloe Bay in Alabama—are helping communities protect what matters most: clean water, coastal ecosystems, and resilient infrastructure.
Living shorelines are more than a solution for today, they are investments in the long-term health and stability of our coasts.
