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.
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.
“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
In this perspective piece in Sustainability, the authors present benefits, opportunities, and challenges associated with building nature-based infrastructure.
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.
In this article, the authors discuss four elements of maintaining support for large-scale restoration projects calling on three case studies.
Stanford University
The Nature Conservancy
Northeastern University
US Fish and Wildlife Service
Restore America’s Estuaries
The Nature Conservancy
US Army Corps of Engineers
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
The Water Institute of the Gulf
East Carolina University
Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Northeastern University
Northeastern University
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
The Nature Conservancy