CANCELLED: Regional Approaches to Marsh Migration and Community Resilience -- CM | 1 | SR

This session has been cancelled.

This presentation qualifies for 1 Sustainability and Resilience CM.

We are witnessing the effects of climate inaction: more frequent natural disasters, including hurricanes, droughts, and fires. In the Southeast, sea level rise will have a particularly acute impact on coastal communities, environmental systems, and economic engines. Protecting marsh is one of the most effective ecological tools planners have for minimizing disaster impacts in coastal areas. Without adequate protection and stewardship, marshlands will be more likely to disappear or fragment, and communities will be more vulnerable to shocks.

This presentation explores planning to optimally protect and use marshlands to promote resilience, for both the resources themselves and communities. Panelists outline geospatial analysis methods particular to each state involved in the marsh-conservation site selection, and describe how to establish ranking criteria for ecological sites. They emphasize the unique cultural heritage of communities along the southeastern coastal corridor, which include established Gullah-Geechee communities and significant Native American heritage sites. Presenters from three southeastern states explore the importance of simultaneously planning for ecological resilience and cultural preservation. The presentation includes a discussion of funding mechanisms and steps taken to educate community leaders about building ecological resilience.

NPC Peer Reviewers assigned this presentation a learning level of Advanced. For more on learning-level descriptions, visit our General Information Page.