Coral reefs offer more than $1.8 billion worth of flood protection to the US each year, writes Michael Beck, co-author of a report that measures reefs' economic impact. These benefits help make the case that federal agencies, insurers and disaster-recovery funds should recognize the importance of protecting coral reefs, he argues.

Coastal wetlands are a primary defense against flooding, and studies suggest they prevented $625 million in damage from Hurricane Sandy in 2012, write Michael Beck of The Nature Conservancy and Jean-Bernard Crozet of MS Amlin. "If the protection benefits of natural defenses were better reflected in insurance models and in insurance industry practices, that could translate into lower premiums and monetary savings for communities that conserve their natural assets," they say.