Presentation Abstract
Increased population growth in our region coupled with the flood and erosion hazards posed by a changing climate will increase demand for hard shoreline armoring across the Salish Sea. Decisions by waterfront property owners, shoreline land managers, and coastal communities about how to adapt to the impacts of rising seas will affect how marine shorelines look and function for generations to come. Understanding landowner and community perspectives on sea level rise adaptation strategies is an essential element of both resiliency planning and efforts to protect and restore marine ecosystems. As part of ongoing work to advance habitat friendly adaptation actions in the San Juan Island archipelago, Friends of the San Juans has completed vulnerability assessment mapping, developed outreach materials, hosted workshops and conducted surveys in multiple vulnerable coastal communities. Survey results show strong support for long-term solutions and recognition of habitat processes and values. These findings are often inconsistent with what elected officials and other mangers assume their constituents want and may offer the public support required to promote the implementation of multi-benefit projects and help reduce the proliferation of new hard armor. Survey results offer important insights for elected officials, shoreline managers, and marine ecosystem recovery science and policy practitioners on public and stakeholder perceptions on the best ways to plan for and manage impacts to both public infrastructure and private property. Friends of the San Juans will share the primary engagement components utilized, key findings from the survey, and potential applications to advance on-the-ground adaptation actions.
Session Title
Posters: Climate Change: Impacts, Adaptation, & Research
Keywords
sea level rise, community perceptions, survey
Conference Track
SSE18: Posters
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2018 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE18-5
Start Date
5-4-2018 11:30 AM
End Date
5-4-2018 1:30 PM
Type of Presentation
Poster
Genre/Form
posters; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Regional planning--Risk management--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Sea level--Washington (State)--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Volunteer workers in environmental protection--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Bulkheads--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Included in
Fresh Water Studies Commons, Marine Biology Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
Understanding community perceptions on sea level rise adaptation
Increased population growth in our region coupled with the flood and erosion hazards posed by a changing climate will increase demand for hard shoreline armoring across the Salish Sea. Decisions by waterfront property owners, shoreline land managers, and coastal communities about how to adapt to the impacts of rising seas will affect how marine shorelines look and function for generations to come. Understanding landowner and community perspectives on sea level rise adaptation strategies is an essential element of both resiliency planning and efforts to protect and restore marine ecosystems. As part of ongoing work to advance habitat friendly adaptation actions in the San Juan Island archipelago, Friends of the San Juans has completed vulnerability assessment mapping, developed outreach materials, hosted workshops and conducted surveys in multiple vulnerable coastal communities. Survey results show strong support for long-term solutions and recognition of habitat processes and values. These findings are often inconsistent with what elected officials and other mangers assume their constituents want and may offer the public support required to promote the implementation of multi-benefit projects and help reduce the proliferation of new hard armor. Survey results offer important insights for elected officials, shoreline managers, and marine ecosystem recovery science and policy practitioners on public and stakeholder perceptions on the best ways to plan for and manage impacts to both public infrastructure and private property. Friends of the San Juans will share the primary engagement components utilized, key findings from the survey, and potential applications to advance on-the-ground adaptation actions.
