Science Inventory

Implementing adaptive management into a climate change adaptation strategy for a drowning New England salt marsh

Citation:

Perry, D., C. Chaffee, C. Wigand, AND C. Thornber. Implementing adaptive management into a climate change adaptation strategy for a drowning New England salt marsh. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, 270:110928, (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110928

Impact/Purpose:

US EPA partners with state, non governemntal orgaizations, and community groups to develop sound climate adaptation actions to conserve and restore coastal resources. In this case study, the RI Coastal Resources Management Council cooperated with various partners including Save the Bay, RI National Estuarine Research Reserve, and NOAA to develop restoration plans for a drowning coastal salt marsh using an adaptive managnement framework. Plans included soical and econonomic as well as ecological considerations to identify goals, targets, restoration actions, and monitoring plans. Through effective communication and active stakeholder involvement, this project successfully incorporated interdisciplinary partner and stakeholder collaborations and developed an iterative learning strategy that highlights the adaptive management method.

Description:

Due to climate change and other anthropogenic stressors, future conditions and impacts facing coastal habitats are unclear to coastal resource managers. Adaptive management strategies have become an important tactic to compensate for the unknown environmental conditions that coastal managers and restoration ecologists face. Adaptive management requires extensive planning and resources, which can act as barriers to achieve a successful project. These barriers also create challenges in incorporating adaptive management into climate change adaptation strategies. This case study describes and analyzes the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council's approach to overcome these challenges to implement a successful adaptive management project to restore a drowning salt marsh using the climate change adaptation strategy, sediment enhancement, at Quonochontaug Pond in Charlestown, RI. Through effective communication and active stakeholder involvement, this project successfully incorporated interdisciplinary partner and stakeholder collaborations and developed an iterative learning strategy that highlights the adaptive management method.