State of the Coast: A Review of Coastal Management Policies for Six States

dc.contributor.author

Karasik, Rachel

dc.contributor.author

Pickle, Amy

dc.contributor.author

O’Shea, Maggie

dc.contributor.author

Reilly, Kelly

dc.contributor.author

Bruce, Molly

dc.contributor.author

Earnhardt, Rachel

dc.contributor.author

Ahmed, Iqra

dc.date.accessioned

2023-02-03T18:42:04Z

dc.date.available

2023-02-03T18:42:04Z

dc.date.issued

2023-01-17

dc.date.updated

2023-02-03T18:42:03Z

dc.description.abstract

This analysis of coastal habitat policy in six US states—California, Florida, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Texas, and Washington—aims to identify promising policy approaches for improved protection and restoration of oyster reefs, mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrass.   Coastal habitats provide critical environmental, economic, and recreational services valued at billions of dollars in the United States alone. However, the quantity and quality of most coastal habitats have been under decline for centuries due to a variety of threats. Coordinated policy responses across levels of government are required for protection and restoration of coastal habitats because they do not have discrete jurisdictional boundaries and are often harmed by distant anthropogenic activities.   The analysis finds that state-level management is principally guided by federal coastal protection and management statutes, namely the Clean Water Act and Coastal Zone Management Act. State and federal policies are rarely habitat-specific and do not comprehensively address threats, which can result in a fragmented policy landscape that struggles to meet habitat protection and restoration goals. With limited long-term monitoring data and few effectiveness studies, our ability to understand which policy levers work and the extent to which they can be replicated in other states is limited.   A successful path forward may be found through local initiatives tailored and designed for their local context that have effectively restored degraded habitats and employed innovative regulatory mechanisms intended to streamline the permitting process for restoration. Dedicated funding for sustained, long-term monitoring to best understand the effects and outcomes of habitat protection and restoration policy efforts will also be critical to identify enabling conditions and replicate effective measures in similar contexts.   The Pew Charitable Trusts supported the development of this report. Pew is not responsible for any inaccuracies and does not necessarily endorse the findings.

dc.identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10161/26563

dc.publisher

Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability

dc.subject

coastal habitat

dc.subject

policy

dc.subject

oyster reef

dc.subject

mangrove

dc.subject

salt marsh

dc.subject

wetland

dc.subject

seagrass

dc.subject

Clean Water Act

dc.subject

Coastal Zone Management Act

dc.title

State of the Coast: A Review of Coastal Management Policies for Six States

dc.type

Report

pubs.organisational-group

Duke

pubs.organisational-group

Staff

pubs.organisational-group

Institutes and Provost's Academic Units

pubs.organisational-group

University Institutes and Centers

pubs.organisational-group

Nicholas Institute-Energy Initiative

pubs.publication-status

Published online

Files

Original bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
state-coast-a-review-coastal-management-policies-six-states.pdf
Size:
3.24 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Published version