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In the United States, extensive investments have been made to restore the ecological function and services of coastal marine habitats. Despite a growing body of science supporting coastal restoration, few studies have addressed the suite of societally enabling conditions that helped facilitate successful restoration and recovery efforts that occurred at meaningful ecological (i.e., ecosystem) scales, and where restoration efforts were sustained for longer (i.e., several years to decades) periods. Here, we examined three case studies involving large-scale and long-term restoration efforts including the seagrass restoration effort in Tampa Bay, Florida, the oyster restoration effort in the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland and Virginia, and the tidal marsh restoration effort in San Francisco Bay, California. The ecological systems and the specifics of the ecological restoration were not the focus of our study. Rather, we focused on the underlying social and political contexts of each case study and found common themes of the factors of restoration which appear to be important for maintaining support for large-scale restoration efforts. Four critical elements for sustaining public and/or political support for large-scale restoration include: (1) resources should be invested in building public support prior to significant investments into ecological restoration; (2) building political support provides a level of significance to the recovery planning efforts and creates motivation to set and achieve meaningful recovery goals; (3) recovery plans need to be science-based with clear, measurable goals that resonate with the public; and (4) the accountability of progress toward reaching goals needs to be communicated frequently and in a way that the general public comprehends. These conclusions may help other communities move away from repetitive, single, and seemingly unconnected restoration projects towards more large-scale, bigger impact, and coordinated restoration efforts.
Bryan DeAngelis; Ariana Sutton-Grier; Allison Colden; Katie Arkema; Christopher Baillie; Richard Bennett; Jeff Benoit; Seth Blitch; Anthony Chatwin; Alyssa Dausman; Rachel Gittman; Holly Greening; Jessica Henkel; Rachel Houge; Ron Howard; A. Hughes; Jeremy Lowe; Steven Scyphers; Edward Sherwood; Stephanie Westby; Jonathan Grabowski. Social Factors Key to Landscape-Scale Coastal Restoration: Lessons Learned from Three U.S. Case Studies. Sustainability 2020, 12, 869 .
AMA StyleBryan DeAngelis, Ariana Sutton-Grier, Allison Colden, Katie Arkema, Christopher Baillie, Richard Bennett, Jeff Benoit, Seth Blitch, Anthony Chatwin, Alyssa Dausman, Rachel Gittman, Holly Greening, Jessica Henkel, Rachel Houge, Ron Howard, A. Hughes, Jeremy Lowe, Steven Scyphers, Edward Sherwood, Stephanie Westby, Jonathan Grabowski. Social Factors Key to Landscape-Scale Coastal Restoration: Lessons Learned from Three U.S. Case Studies. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (3):869.
Chicago/Turabian StyleBryan DeAngelis; Ariana Sutton-Grier; Allison Colden; Katie Arkema; Christopher Baillie; Richard Bennett; Jeff Benoit; Seth Blitch; Anthony Chatwin; Alyssa Dausman; Rachel Gittman; Holly Greening; Jessica Henkel; Rachel Houge; Ron Howard; A. Hughes; Jeremy Lowe; Steven Scyphers; Edward Sherwood; Stephanie Westby; Jonathan Grabowski. 2020. "Social Factors Key to Landscape-Scale Coastal Restoration: Lessons Learned from Three U.S. Case Studies." Sustainability 12, no. 3: 869.
Coastal ecosystems are under pressure from a vast array of anthropogenic stressors, including development and climate change, resulting in significant habitat losses globally. Conservation policies are often implemented with the intent of reducing habitat loss. However, losses already incurred will require restoration if ecosystem functions and services are to be recovered. The United States has a long history of wetland loss and recognizes that averting loss requires a multi-pronged approach including mitigation for regulated activities and non-mitigation (voluntary herein) restoration. The 1989 “No Net Loss” (NNL) policy stated the Federal government's intent that losses of wetlands would be offset by at least as many gains of wetlands. However, coastal wetlands losses result from both regulated and non-regulated activities. We examined the effectiveness of Federally funded, voluntary restoration efforts in helping avert losses of coastal wetlands by assessing: (1) What are the current and past trends in coastal wetland change in the U.S.?; and (2) How much and where are voluntary restoration efforts occurring? First, we calculated palustrine and estuarine wetland change in U.S. coastal shoreline counties using data from NOAA's Coastal Change Analysis Program, which integrates both types of potential losses and gains. We then synthesized available data on Federally funded, voluntary restoration of coastal wetlands. We found that from 1996 to 2010, the U.S. lost 139,552 acres (~565 km2) of estuarine wetlands (2.5% of 1996 area) and 336,922 acres (~1,363 km2) of palustrine wetlands (1.4%). From 2006 to 2015, restoration of 145,442 acres (~589 km2) of estuarine wetlands and 154,772 acres (~626 km2) of palustrine wetlands occurred. Further, wetland losses and restoration were not always geographically aligned, resulting in local and regional “winners” and “losers.” While these restoration efforts have been considerable, restoration and mitigation collectively have not been able to keep pace with wetland losses; thus, reversing this trend will likely require greater investment in coastal habitat conservation and restoration efforts. We further conclude that “area restored,” the most prevalent metric used to assess progress, is inadequate, as it does not necessarily equate to restoration of functions. Assessing the effectiveness of wetland restoration not just in the U.S., but globally, will require allocation of sufficient funding for long-term monitoring of restored wetland functions, as well as implementation of standardized methods for monitoring data collection, synthesis, interpretation, and application.
Rachel K. Gittman; Christopher J. Baillie; Katie K. Arkema; Richard O. Bennett; Jeff Benoit; Seth Blitch; Julien Brun; Anthony Chatwin; Allison Colden; Alyssa Dausman; Bryan DeAngelis; Nathaniel Herold; Jessica Henkel; Rachel Houge; Ronald Howard; A. Randall Hughes; Steven B. Scyphers; Tisa Shostik; Ariana Sutton-Grier; Jonathan H. Grabowski. Voluntary Restoration: Mitigation's Silent Partner in the Quest to Reverse Coastal Wetland Loss in the USA. Frontiers in Marine Science 2019, 6, 1 .
AMA StyleRachel K. Gittman, Christopher J. Baillie, Katie K. Arkema, Richard O. Bennett, Jeff Benoit, Seth Blitch, Julien Brun, Anthony Chatwin, Allison Colden, Alyssa Dausman, Bryan DeAngelis, Nathaniel Herold, Jessica Henkel, Rachel Houge, Ronald Howard, A. Randall Hughes, Steven B. Scyphers, Tisa Shostik, Ariana Sutton-Grier, Jonathan H. Grabowski. Voluntary Restoration: Mitigation's Silent Partner in the Quest to Reverse Coastal Wetland Loss in the USA. Frontiers in Marine Science. 2019; 6 ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRachel K. Gittman; Christopher J. Baillie; Katie K. Arkema; Richard O. Bennett; Jeff Benoit; Seth Blitch; Julien Brun; Anthony Chatwin; Allison Colden; Alyssa Dausman; Bryan DeAngelis; Nathaniel Herold; Jessica Henkel; Rachel Houge; Ronald Howard; A. Randall Hughes; Steven B. Scyphers; Tisa Shostik; Ariana Sutton-Grier; Jonathan H. Grabowski. 2019. "Voluntary Restoration: Mitigation's Silent Partner in the Quest to Reverse Coastal Wetland Loss in the USA." Frontiers in Marine Science 6, no. : 1.
Much of the United States’ critical infrastructure is either aging or requires significant repair, leaving U.S. communities and the economy vulnerable. Outdated and dilapidated infrastructure places coastal communities, in particular, at risk from the increasingly frequent and intense coastal storm events and rising sea levels. Therefore, investments in coastal infrastructure are urgently needed to ensure community safety and prosperity; however, these investments should not jeopardize the ecosystems and natural resources that underlie economic wealth and human well-being. Over the past 50 years, efforts have been made to integrate built infrastructure with natural landscape features, often termed “green” infrastructure, in order to sustain and restore valuable ecosystem functions and services. For example, significant advances have been made in implementing green infrastructure approaches for stormwater management, wastewater treatment, and drinking water conservation and delivery. However, the implementation of natural and nature-based infrastructure (NNBI) aimed at flood prevention and coastal erosion protection is lagging. There is an opportunity now, as the U.S. government reacts to the recent, unprecedented flooding and hurricane damage and considers greater infrastructure investments, to incorporate NNBI into coastal infrastructure projects. Doing so will increase resilience and provide critical services to local communities in a cost-effective manner and thereby help to sustain a growing economy.
Ariana Sutton-Grier; Rachel Gittman; Katie Arkema; Richard Bennett; Jeff Benoit; Seth Blitch; Kelly Burks-Copes; Allison Colden; Alyssa Dausman; Bryan DeAngelis; A. Hughes; Steven Scyphers; Jonathan Grabowski. Investing in Natural and Nature-Based Infrastructure: Building Better Along Our Coasts. Sustainability 2018, 10, 523 .
AMA StyleAriana Sutton-Grier, Rachel Gittman, Katie Arkema, Richard Bennett, Jeff Benoit, Seth Blitch, Kelly Burks-Copes, Allison Colden, Alyssa Dausman, Bryan DeAngelis, A. Hughes, Steven Scyphers, Jonathan Grabowski. Investing in Natural and Nature-Based Infrastructure: Building Better Along Our Coasts. Sustainability. 2018; 10 (2):523.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAriana Sutton-Grier; Rachel Gittman; Katie Arkema; Richard Bennett; Jeff Benoit; Seth Blitch; Kelly Burks-Copes; Allison Colden; Alyssa Dausman; Bryan DeAngelis; A. Hughes; Steven Scyphers; Jonathan Grabowski. 2018. "Investing in Natural and Nature-Based Infrastructure: Building Better Along Our Coasts." Sustainability 10, no. 2: 523.
Am Colden; Rj Latour; Rn Lipcius. Reef height drives threshold dynamics of restored oyster reefs. Marine Ecology Progress Series 2017, 582, 1 -13.
AMA StyleAm Colden, Rj Latour, Rn Lipcius. Reef height drives threshold dynamics of restored oyster reefs. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 2017; 582 ():1-13.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAm Colden; Rj Latour; Rn Lipcius. 2017. "Reef height drives threshold dynamics of restored oyster reefs." Marine Ecology Progress Series 582, no. : 1-13.
The eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, is a prominent ecosystem engineer, whose reefs exhibit strikingly consistent morphologies at multiple spatial scales throughout its North American range. These distinct morphologies are thought to form by interactions of nascent reef structures with hydrodynamics. We carried out two field studies to determine if historical reef configurations applied in a restoration context would improve reef persistence and restoration outcomes. We collected seabed and water column observations across constructed reefs of three orientations representative of those found historically throughout the oyster’s range: parallel or perpendicular to tidal currents or circular. Areas adjacent to reefs were sites of fine sediment trapping, with lower flow velocities, evidence of particle settling, and more fine sediments on the seabed relative to off-reef reference sites. The water column above the reef crest exhibited higher acoustic backscatter, higher flow velocities, and larger particles in suspension, consistent with local erosion of flocculated fine sediment from the reef crest. Perpendicular reefs produced conditions that were more conducive to reef persistence and improved oyster performance, including high flow velocities and enhanced resuspension of sediments from the reef, compared to parallel or circular reefs. Particle trapping in areas between reefs has the potential to inhibit reef growth between existing reef structures, providing support for hypotheses of landscape-scale reef pattern formation. Oyster reef restoration efforts can benefit from this improved understanding of biophysical interactions arising from reef orientation that contribute to sediment dynamics on constructed oyster reefs.
Allison Colden; Kelsey A. Fall; Grace M. Cartwright; Carl T. Friedrichs. Sediment Suspension and Deposition Across Restored Oyster Reefs of Varying Orientation to Flow: Implications for Restoration. Estuaries and Coasts 2016, 39, 1435 -1448.
AMA StyleAllison Colden, Kelsey A. Fall, Grace M. Cartwright, Carl T. Friedrichs. Sediment Suspension and Deposition Across Restored Oyster Reefs of Varying Orientation to Flow: Implications for Restoration. Estuaries and Coasts. 2016; 39 (5):1435-1448.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAllison Colden; Kelsey A. Fall; Grace M. Cartwright; Carl T. Friedrichs. 2016. "Sediment Suspension and Deposition Across Restored Oyster Reefs of Varying Orientation to Flow: Implications for Restoration." Estuaries and Coasts 39, no. 5: 1435-1448.
Allison Colden; Rn Lipcius. Lethal and sublethal effects of sediment burial on the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica. Marine Ecology Progress Series 2015, 527, 105 -117.
AMA StyleAllison Colden, Rn Lipcius. Lethal and sublethal effects of sediment burial on the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 2015; 527 ():105-117.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAllison Colden; Rn Lipcius. 2015. "Lethal and sublethal effects of sediment burial on the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica." Marine Ecology Progress Series 527, no. : 105-117.