Coastal change is an important issue for all coastal regions of the LCC Network, yet there are vast differences in the tools and information available across coastal regions. While the key uncertainties may differ across the Network, all coastal LCCs have been working to advance coastal resilience and adaptation. In some coastal areas, there are significant resources available to communities to understand coastal change and the discussions are now focused upon adaptation and incorporating natural resource considerations. In other regions, few tools exist for either communities or resource managers to address observed and predicted coastal change. The ultimate goal for LCCs is to have decision makers informed about the potential impacts, adaptation strategies and management approaches that incorporate both ecological and human communities in their decisions, as well as provide a range of ecosystem services through natural and nature-based approaches.
This one-year pilot project related existing projections of sea level rise (SLR) and storm impacts to habitats and populations of priority fish and wildlife species across their range. It assessed restoration and management alternatives for increasing persistence and resilience of these habitats and species and how these alternatives relate to the use of natural and nature-based approaches to community resilience. Actions could delay or preclude listing of species that are sensitive to sea level rise, help sustain and recover listed species, and maintain economically important fish and wildlife populations.
Products and tools culminating from these efforts include:
1) Compilation and synthesis of existing Gulf and Atlantic Coast coastal ecological and community resilience information, including SLR and storm impacts to system response; thresholds of viability for priority fish, wildlife and plant species under different rates of SLR; restoration and management alternatives completed, underway or planned; existing and planned efforts to use natural and nature-based approaches to increase community resilience.
2) Assessment of opportunities to relate ecological and community resilience approaches.
3) Assistance/guidance to incorporate species and habitat information into community resilience planning.
4) Summary of additional science needs and approaches to address information gaps.
5) Final results compiled and made available through a comprehensive report, website(s), and/or data portal(s).
This project was co-funded by the North Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative and Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center. An alternate reference to this project can be found here: https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/57b36626e4b03bcb01039694
