Hong Kong's shoreline development dates back to the 19th century, when the British established a strategic trading port. Since then, rapid urbanization and economic growth have transformed much of the coastline, with high-rise buildings, infrastructure, and extensive land reclamation leading to the loss of natural shorelines. Approximately 16% of Hong Kong's coastlines have been converted into artificial shorelines, including concrete and rubble-mound seawalls, which serve as coastal defenses against wave action, erosion and flooding. While these structures provide essential protection, they often simplify natural habitats, reduce biodiversity, and compromise ecosystem functions, including fisheries production, seawater biofiltration, carbon sequestration, and natural coastal protection. Over the past decade, ecologically engineered shorelines (i.e., eco-shorelines) have emerged in Hong Kong as both small-scale trials and larger-scale implementations within new town development and reclamation projects. By integrating ecological principles into artificial shoreline design, eco-shorelines aim to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem function without compromising coastal protection. This review examines the development of eco-shorelines in the highly urbanized environments of Hong Kong, highlighting design innovations, ecological outcomes, governance frameworks, and collaborative approaches. Using Hong Kong as a case study, this review highlights the potential of eco-shorelines to support sustainable coastal urbanization, emphasizing the importance of cross-disciplinary collaboration and the broader applicability of these approaches to other regions.
Minuti et al. (Wed,) studied this question.