RESOURCE MANAGEMENT OF COASTAL PARKS: ADAPTATION STRATEGIES IN AN ERA OF CLIMATE CHANGE

The National Park Service is implementing a suite of actions to address climate change threats to park natural and cultural resources, infrastructure, and recreation using strategies described in a report released in November 2015. The report, “Coastal Adaptation Strategies: Case Studies,” was compiled to inspire action, innovation, and dialogue among park managers, coastal scientists, and other coastal management agencies that are responsible for researching and protecting natural and cultural resources. Actions used by NPS managers to combat climate change in an already dynamic coastal zone are described through 24 case studies in the report. Examples include: Gateway National Recreation Area in New York has restored salt marsh elevation in Jamaica Bay through the addition of sediment and vegetation; and in a lab on Ofu, one of the islands of the National Park of American Samoa, the facility studies unique adaptations of Ofu coral and to determe the cause of coral loss and damage. The report is available at http://www.nps.gov/subjects/climatechange/coastaladaptationstrategies.htm.