Importance part 2 Casey

Florida beaches and dunes need protection because they serve as natural barriers against storm surge and waves. They absorb the energy of incoming waves during storms, reducing flood damage to homes and structures located beyond the dunes. The money saved by dunes after Hurricane Ian is still being calculated, but they can save millions of dollars in damage. However, dunes themselves are often damaged by storm surge. This highlights the ongoing issue facing beach and dune ecosystems. There's more and more reasons why Florida beaches and dunes need to be protected. And speaking of protection, that's what the dunes do. Beach and dune ecosystems protect against storm surge and waves by absorbing the energy of those incoming waves during the storms. This reduces flood damage that can occur to homes, businesses, and other structures that are located beyond the dunes. The amount of money dunes save the state of Florida after Hurricane Ian had passed is still being tallied. However, Dr. Washburn, the vice president of the conservation for Naples Botanical Garden, said that dunes are critical for storm protection and they alone can save millions of dollars in damage. So even though the dunes themselves are damaged by the storm surge, that's their job. They're there to protect the buildings beyond them. So this also leads us to the issue that beach and dune ecosystems are unfortunately facing.