Malibu Living Shoreline
Point Dume Beach Restoration Plan
RIOS was enlisted by The Bay Foundation and The Coastal Conservancy for the Malibu Living Shoreline Project to develop a dune restoration plan, visual materials, and a series of interpretive signs for Zuma and Point Dume beaches in Malibu, CA. These beaches see more than 8 million visitors per year and suffer from severe dune degradation and the spread of invasive plants.
Research
In partnership with Coastal Restoration Consultants, RIOS conducted site surveys, analysis, and historical research that informed a series of schematic design drawings, rendered site plans, sections, perspectives, and interpretive signage.
By analyzing historic aerial photography, the project chronicles a century’s worth of disturbances to the dunes of Zuma and Point Dume and to Zuma Lagoon and maps the morphology of the lagoon breach over time. This information was used to inform target metrics for dune dimensions and vegetation coverage in the restoration plan.
Design Concept
The final design for the dune restoration includes a series of pathways, educational signage, symbolic fencing, as well as both sand fencing and native dune plant seeding to catalyze dune growth. Our team worked carefully with local and regional agencies such as LA Beaches and Harbors and The City of Malibu to ensure that all operations, maintenance, and regulatory demands were satisfied by the proposed design.
