Shore protection projects are designed to retain and rebuild natural systems such as bluffs, dunes, wetlands, and beaches and to protect structures and infrastructure landward of the shoreline. Shore protection not only can reduce a storm's potential physical and economic damages from waves, storm surge, and the resulting coastal flooding but also can mitigate coastal erosion and even help restore valuable ecosystems that may have been lost such as beaches, wetlands, reefs, and nesting areas.