Maximizing the social and ecological value of Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, South Carolina as the effects of global change processes increase.

Abstract

Coastal ecosystems in the eastern U.S. have been severely altered by processes associated with human development, including drainage of coastal wetlands, changes in hydrology that alter sediment and freshwater delivery to the coast, land clearing, agricultural and forestry activity, and the construction of seawalls and other structures that “harden” the coast. Sea-level rise and the changing frequency of extreme events associated with climate change are now further degrading the capacity of those ecological and social systems to remain resilient in the face of disturbance, largely through the degradation and loss of land and habitat. The goal was to develop a problem framing that would broadly reflect the type, scale and scope of SLR-adaptation decisions faced by refuges in general, and that could be used by individual refuges to help understand how their specific problems fit into a larger context of SLR planning and implementation. We worked with refuge managers in developing a common frame of reference for some shared SLR-related management problems, while also facilitating communication about these problems with other refuges and with surrounding jurisdictions.