All Climate Events

Thursday, August 31, 2017. 12:00PM. Webinar: Will landowner behavior and resilient forests hold back marsh migration in Long Island Sound? Chris Field, University of Maryland. Sponsored by NOAA. More information here.

The future of tidal marshes globally will be determined in large part by the potential for landward migration, which depends on physical, ecological, and social factors. While we are starting to understand more about the physical factors that will influence the extent of marsh migration, there are still major gaps in our understanding of ecological and social factors. We present the results of two coast-wide surveys from Long Island Sound aimed at filling these knowledge gaps. The ecological survey quantified the extent of recent migration and coastal forest dieback. The social survey quantified the proportion of landowners who are likely to build sea walls or participate in conservation agreements that would allow migration. We also measured beliefs and attitudes that might influence landowners’ stated intentions and found surprising correlations that raise questions about the effectiveness of common conservation strategies, such as raising awareness of the ecosystem services provided by tidal marshes. The results of these surveys highlight significant challenges for encouraging migration in Long Island Sound, including coastal forest that may be persistent in the face of sea-level rise and social challenges to using common strategies for protecting migration corridors.