Science Inventory

Improving Community Health and Wellbeing through Ecological Restoration

Citation:

Hoffman, J. Improving Community Health and Wellbeing through Ecological Restoration. United Kingdom Environment Agency and United States Environmental Protection Agency Social Science Exchange Webinar, Duluth, MN, June 17, 2021. https://doi.org/10.23645/epacomptox.16598618

Impact/Purpose:

Remediation to Restoration to Revitalization (R2R2R) is a framework to identify ecological and policy-based relationships between waterfront revitalization and large-scale aquatic sediment remediation or habitat restoration projects. In this presentation, I will use a case-study approach to illustrate how ecological, social, and public health research conducted with stakeholder engagement can collectively contribute to the design of a large-scale wetland restoration project to improve the ecological and human health outcomes.

Description:

Undertaking large-scale ecological restoration projects along Great Lakes waterfronts provides an opportunity to improve aquatic and riparian habitat, as well as to enhance community well-being by reconnecting communities with their riverbanks and shorelines. However, to consider both opportunities simultaneously, a community-based decision support process is required, particularly to incorporate the knowledge and values of the community into decision-making. Remediation to Restoration to Revitalization (R2R2R) is a framework to identify ecological and policy-based relationships between waterfront revitalization and large-scale aquatic sediment remediation or habitat restoration projects. In this framework, translating ecological restoration to improved ecosystem services to public benefits such as fishing, boating, and swimming is critical to support decision-making. In this presentation, I will use a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources-led project supported by the Great Lakes Area of Concern program to illustrate how R2R2R can make the connection between aquatic habitat restoration and improved community health.