PlanIt Forward is partnering with Duke University and six Atlantic coast states’ agencies in a project to assess coastal vulnerability and prioritize areas for salt marsh restoration. Salt marshes can provide buffering of wave action to increase community resilience and “blue carbon” sequestration of CO2 to mitigate climate change. See more here.

Dr. Crist led an extensive team of ecologists, conservation planners, and GIS experts working with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to assess vulnerability in seven coastal watersheds in the U.S. (CA, DE, FL, GA, ME, RI, SC). Watch a one-hour webinar on the project. Vulnerability was assessed for several human communities and assets such as socially vulnerable populations and critical facilities and escape routes in parallel with fish and wildlife habitats to a variety of flooding threats, including sea level rise. The team worked extensively with local watershed committees and stakeholders to refine the project scope and get input on draft results. Additional modeling mapped and prioritized “resilience hubs” where habitat conservation and restoration would have potential to provide dual benefits to fish and wildlife and increase resilience of human communities and assets. Each watershed was provided with a report, data, and online viewer, and the NatureServe Vista decision support system project developed for local application. PlanIt Forward can assist your organization in understanding its vulnerability and develop resilience plans and strategies.