Citation:

U.S. EPA. Resilient Coastal Wetlands and Communities: Workshop Proceedings. Resilient Coastal Wetlands and Communities: Multi-Regional Workshp, Washington, DC, May 24 - 25, 2022. U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-23/050, 2023.

Impact/Purpose:

The goal of the Resilient Coastal Wetlands and Communities Workshop was to leverage knowledge and lessons learned from across regions, organizations, and communities that are engaged in research, management, and planning for coastal resilience. The ideas synthesized from the workshop and shared in this Proceedings report can be used to collectively drive continued improvements in effective implementation of strategies to achieve resilient and sustainable coastal wetlands that in turn support healthy and thriving coastal communities.

Description:

States and their constituent coastal communities recognize that wetlands are a critical environmental component of community resilience because of the beneficial ecosystem services they provide. One such service—the ability to protect adjacent upland areas and contaminated sites by mitigating the impacts of storms and floods—is of growing interest and importance to communities facing extreme events of greater frequency and intensity, especially where human-made buffers are too costly or less desirable for ecological or social reasons. Other ecosystem services, such as water purification, provision of fish and wildlife habitat, and carbon sequestration, are also of great value to community and regional stakeholders.

The Resilient Coastal Wetlands and Communities Workshop (24-25 May 2022) brought together U.S. Environmental Protection Agency researchers along with a host of other partners and stakeholders virtually, for a cross-organizational and cross-regional exploration of three scientific themes: characterizing and measuring wetlands resilience; adapting management to support wetlands resilience; and linking wetlands resilience to the health and resilience of coastal communities, including those that are overburdened and underserved. The workshop focused on efforts in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic regions, but the tools, approaches, and lessons learned are relevant nationally. This Workshop Proceedings synthesizes the results of the workshop presentations and interactive audience discussions. The aim is to generate and share new information and opportunities that will further advance our collective understanding of how to protect and boost the resilience of our coastal wetlands, and the communities that depend on them.

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