SNAPP TEAM:Coastal Restoration
How can coastal habitat restoration efforts be better aligned with nature conservation and the provision of societal benefits?

Healthy coastal habitats are critical to the health of people and the planet. However, reefs, marshes, and coastal forests around the world are being degraded and reduced to a small fraction of their historic extent. For governmental agencies to make informed decisions regarding coastal restoration, they must first understand what policies and projects have already been implemented.

 

OUR APPROACH: The Coastal Restoration team is compiling a database of all restoration projects conducted by major agencies and entities, including the NOAA Restoration Center, US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Army Corps of Engineers, US EPA, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. By synthesizing these data, the team can identify opportunities to build upon past restoration efforts that will be the most beneficial to coastal ecosystems and communities.

Team Status: COMPLETED
Team Critical Challenges: Ocean Sustainability, Climate Resilience
Results

Voluntary Coastal Wetland Restoration 2006–2015

The team calculated palustrine and estuarine wetland change in U.S. coastal shoreline counties. There were 748 estuarine wetland restoration projects awarded and 598 palustrine wetland restoration projects awarded. Restoration activities included, but were not limited to, vegetation planting, invasive species removal, prescribed burn, hydrologic reconnection, sediment stabilization/redistribution, and debris/pollutant removal. On average, estuarine and palustrine wetlands restoration projects were completed within 5 years of being awarded.

Investing in Natural and Nature Based Infrastructure (NNBI)  

The team concluded that investing in Natural and Nature Based Infrastructure (NNBI) designs are more resilient to disasters, and provide greater protection to coastal communities, while also being cheaper to maintain over the long term. Studies show that wetlands have saved more than $625 million in avoided flooding damages and communities behind marshes experiences 20% less property loss during Hurricane Sandy. NNBI is more cost effective than traditional built infrastructure as well as provides new opportunities for stakeholder engagement, and benefits business, communities, and the environment. 

Impacts

“The federal agencies and organizations that support coastal habitat restoration in the U.S. restored nearly a million acres between 2006 and 2015. Hotspots are locations where political support, significant investment, and a clear science-based recovery plan are galvanizing efforts to restore ecosystem functioning.”

–Jon Grabowski

Key Products
Investing in Natural and Nature-Based Infrastructure: Building Better Along Our Coasts

In this perspective piece in Sustainability, the authors present benefits, opportunities, and challenges associated with building nature-based infrastructure.

Voluntary Restoration: Mitigation’s Silent Partner in the Quest to Reverse Coastal Wetland Loss in the USA

In this piece from Frontiers, continuous voluntary restoration is necessary to see a positive change in coastal ecosystems under pressure from a vast array of anthropogenic stressors.

Societal Factors Key to Landscape-Scale Coastal Restoration: Lessons Learned from Three U.S. Case Studies

In this article, the authors discuss four elements of maintaining support for large-scale restoration projects calling on three case studies.

Click here to see more products from this SNAPP Team
Team
Leaders
Katie Arkema
Stanford University
Bryan DeAngelis
The Nature Conservancy
Jonathan Grabowski
Northeastern University
Members
Rick Bennett
US Fish and Wildlife Service
Jeff Benoit
Restore America’s Estuaries
Seth Blitch
The Nature Conservancy
Kelly Burks-Copes
US Army Corps of Engineers
Tony Chatwin
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
Allison Colden
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Alyssa Dausman
The Water Institute of the Gulf
Rachel Gittman
East Carolina University
Jessica Henkel
Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council
Ron Howard
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Randall Hughes
Northeastern University
Steven Scyphers
Northeastern University
Tisa Shostik
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Ariana Sutton-Grier
The Nature Conservancy
Explore More Teams Like This
TOP