Making Room for Wetlands: Application of Coastal Habitat Restoration for Climate Change Adaption in Atlantic Canada

The protection, restoration and use of vegetated coastal habitats in eco-engineering solutions for coastal protection are increasingly being accepted as providing a promising strategy, delivering significant capacity for... [ view full abstract ]

The protection, restoration and use of vegetated coastal habitats in eco-engineering solutions for coastal protection are increasingly being accepted as providing a promising strategy, delivering significant capacity for climate change mitigation and adaption. Globally, the practice of re-introducing, where feasible, tidal flow to former agricultural dykelands and the restoration of tidal wetland habitat, has been identified as a viable adaptation method to current and future risks associated with climate change. Previous efforts to restore coastal wetlands in Atlantic Canada focused primarily on goals related to the removal of barriers to tidal flow and the restoration of resilient and self-sufficient habitats. However, we are increasingly seeing the focus of tidal wetland restoration projects shift from primarily habitat recovery to climate change adaptation. The design, restoration and monitoring of these new, often more socially and morphological complex projects, is being based on the 15 years of tidal wetland restoration in the region. But with limited resources available, guidance is required to determine which dykes to remove that will optimize ecosystem services. maximize adaptation benefits, minimize economic costs yet still maintain fertile agricultural land and social, cultural and historic activities. Pending and on-going managed realignment projects in Nova Scotia (i.e., Truro-Onslow dyke realignment and tidal wetland restoration project that will eliminate ~ 2.5 km of dyke infrastructure and restore 90 ha of tidal wetland) will be used as a framework for a discussion on the challenges and opportunities presented for coastal habitat restoration for climate change adaptation.