Adaptive Management of Urban Ecosystem Restoration: Learning From Restoration Managers in Rhode Island, USA

ABSTRACT

Urban aquatic restoration can be difficult to accomplish because of complications like industrial pollutants, population density, infrastructure, and expense; however, unique opportunities in urban settings, including the potential to provide benefits to many diverse people, can make urban restoration especially rewarding. The success of urban restoration projects—even those focused primarily on ecological targets—depends on community involvement and managers considering community needs. However, research on the social barriers to urban restoration and strategies managers use to overcome them is relatively rare. This work attempts to fill that gap by presenting barriers for aquatic restoration projects in urban settings and strategies to overcome them. Building from interviews with restoration managers involved in urban aquatic restoration projects in Rhode Island, we contribute through an adaptive management approach: identifying and synthesizing the lessons learned from managers’ work in urban settings. Ultimately, we suggest potential for double- and triple-loop learning by disentangling and critiquing the frames and policy/power structures that influence decision making in urban aquatic restoration.

KEYWORDS:

• Adaptive management
• aquatic
• barriers
• beneficiaries
• community involvement
• contamination
• engagement
• environmental justice
• funding
• leadership
• opportunities
• restoration
• rivers
• urban

Acknowledgments

We thank our interviewees, whose experiences and efforts form the basis of this article. We thank Kate Mulvaney, Marisa Mazzotta, Marty Chintala, Tim Gleason, and Wayne Munns for strengthening our article through their generous feedback.

Disclaimer

This article has not been subjected to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency review. Therefore, it does not necessarily reflect the views of the Agency and no official endorsement should be inferred. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. This contribution is identified by tracking number ORD-013562 of the Atlantic Ecology Division, Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency.