Building resilience by identifying priority areas for habitat conservation and wetland restoration
An innovative approach called Coordinated Investment
is being implemented in Puget Sound to accelerate conservation and resilience of natural resources and communities in coastal watersheds. This approach increases collaboration to better align the financial resources and authorities of state and federal agencies behind large scale projects that deliver multiple benefits, broaden the base of support, and generate more return on our public investments. It is helping to restore and build resilience in several areas of Puget Sound for salmon, shellfish, and water quality, while strengthening working farms and forests. Current partners include NOAA, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S.Geological Survey, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington State, and several county organizations. Efforts include using flooding hazard scenarios and predictions to inform project selection and planning efforts for agriculture and other land uses including identification of priority areas for habitat conservation to reduce impacts and increase resilience in the basin.
In the Snohomish River watershed and estuary in particular federal, state, tribal, and non-governmental partners have collaborated to promote conservation and climate resilience. Numerous projects are underway in the watershed to address these issues at a landscape-scale.
These include:
- A study that found major climate mitigation benefits from restoring estuary tidal wetland habitats
- The Smith Island floodplain restoration and levee setback project that increased flood storage capacity and will enable the lower river to adapt to a changing climate and sea level rise
- A survey of climate data needs for floodplain managers to help inform better decision-making
Two story maps describe the flood control benefits of regional restoration, and the multi-faceted story of the Snohomish Estuary, including the land subsidence and sea level rise threatening low-lying farmland, while an improved local climate risk analysis from the University of Washington supports local planners.
For additional information please contact: Jennifer Steger, 206-526-4363
