Malibu Living Shoreline Project Year 2 Annual Report

This report summarizes activities and scientific monitoring results for the Malibu Living Shoreline Project. The purpose of this project is to transform 3.26 acres of coastal habitat on Zuma, Westward and Point Dume Beaches in Malibu, CA, into a non-contiguous California native plant, coastal dune system that not only beautifies the Malibu coast, but also provides a nature-based defense in the face of impending sea level rise due to the climate crisis. Historically, dune systems were a prominent feature of the Malibu area; over time with increased development and urbanization, these dune features disappeared. More recently, this area is managed by the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors. This restored shoreline project was implemented as an alternative to traditional hardscaping practices for defending the coastline against the effects of storm surge and rising sea level. Pre-restoration monitoring was completed prior to December 2020. Initial restoration activities were conducted December 2020 through February 2021 on 1.02 acres at the Zuma Beach site, adjacent to the Zuma Lagoon, and 2.24 acres at the Point Dume Beach sites. Hand seeding occurred in the coastal strand and foredune, back dunes and dune transition habitats at Zuma Beach and Point Dume Beach in Winter 2020-21. More than 500 individual CA native plants in container stock were introduced to expedite native vegetation establishment at the Zuma site. Post-restoration adaptive management (i.e., supplemental watering, removal of non-native species, and biomimicry stake / sand fence repair) has continued throughout 2021, 2022 and 2023. The intense weather conditions of the 2022-2023 winter made site management mostly impossible, until we were able to return to the site in March 2023