Resilient Coastal Sites
for Conservation in the Atlantic Seaboard and Gulf of Mexico
““We finally can look across the entirety of the Atlantic with an eye to the future to find the best natural places to buffer coastal communities from storms while sustaining our valuable coastal fish and wildlife resources. Resilient Coastal Sites has the potential to catalyze a host of proactive steps by local communities concerned about the long-term prospects for their coastal resources.”
-Wendi Weber,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Northeast Regional Director
Coastal areas provide critical habitat for wildlife and are home to more than 40 percent of the U.S. population, but coastal sites vary widely in their ability to accommodate rising sea levels. Scientists from The Nature Conservancy evaluated over 12,000 coastal sites along the Atlantic Seaboard and Gulf of Mexico for their capacity to sustain biodiversity and natural services under increasing inundation from sea level rise. Each site received a resilience “score” based on the likelihood that its coastal habitats can and will migrate to adjacent lowlands. A coastal site was considered more resilient if it had more options for adapting to, or accommodating risk, and more vulnerable if it had less options.
The results can be used to:
- Identify areas for protection, restoration, and/or management
- Develop effective strategies to sustain the natural benefits of coastal habitats
- Understand the relative resilience or vulnerability of critical areas
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