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Shifting of the Marsh Management Paradigm
Citation:
Wigand, C. Shifting of the Marsh Management Paradigm. ASLO Aquatic Sciences Meeting 2023: Resilience and Recovery in Aquatic Systems, Palma de Mallorca, SPAIN, June 04 - 09, 2023.
Impact/Purpose:
In recent decades we have seen a shift in the approach to assessing and restoring coastal marshes. Global climate change stressors, such as an increase in the frequency and intensity of storms, accelerated sea level rise, and a general increase in extreme weather events (e.g., droughts, flooding) have caused vegetation die-offs and degradation of vulnerable coastal marshes. No longer do natural resource managers only assess salt marsh condition and integrity, but now monitor and assess vulnerability to climate change stressors and overall coastal resiliency. Restoration plans now include climate adaptation considerations, which might include re-designing or modifying marshes to increase resiliency to climate change. In earlier decades (1970s – 2000s), the coastal marsh management paradigm entailed assessing condition and integrity and implementing restoration actions to return marshes to an earlier reference state. In the present paradigm, marsh management entails assessing condition and vulnerability and implementing climate adaptation actions to build marsh resiliency to climate change stressors. Creating partnerships among local, state, and federal entities to meet the challenges caused by the effects of climate change stressors on marshes and coastal communities will facilitate development and implementation of adaptation actions that better address short- and long-term social, ecological, and conservation goals.
Description:
Accelerated sea level rise and an increase in extreme weather events have caused vegetation die-offs and degradation of salt marshes. No longer do natural resource managers only evaluate marsh condition and integrity, but now assess vulnerability to climate change stressors and overall coastal resiliency. Restoration plans now include climate adaptation considerations, which might include redesigning or modifying marshes to increase resiliency to climate change stressors. Marshes provide aesthetic and cultural values as well as ecosystem services that are essential to many communities. A socio-ecological, adaptive management approach allows for setting social and ecological goals, and the iterative monitoring aspect of the approach allows evaluation of reaching or falling short of social and ecological targets. Lessons-learned in a socio-ecological systems approach can inform future climate adaptation actions. Coastal marshes in Rhode Island (USA) were assessed to be vulnerable to accelerated sea level rise, and adaptation actions taken by managers to successfully improve resiliency were sediment placement of dredged sediments to build elevation (Ninigret marsh, RI) and creation of runnels to increase surface drainage (Pettaquamscutt marsh, RI). In earlier decades, the marsh management paradigm entailed assessing condition and integrity and implementing restoration actions to return marshes to an earlier reference state. In the present paradigm, marsh management entails assessing condition and vulnerability and implementing climate adaptation actions to build resiliency.
