Analysis of the costs and benefits of using marsh restoration as a sea level rise adaptation strategy in San Francisco Bay

Bay Institute | February 22nd, 2013

The purpose of this study is to examine opportunities to protect San Francisco Bay’s recovering tidal marsh ecosystems while helping bayshore communities to manage the

The purpose of this study is to examine opportunities to protect San Francisco Bay’s recovering tidal marsh ecosystems while helping bayshore communities to manage the impacts of sea level rise. Specifically, it considers the flood risk management functions that tidal marshes perform naturally and evaluates the possibility of integrating those functions into a co-beneficial shoreline management strategy. The study’s intended audience is planners, politicians, regulators, and other stakeholders with the authority to make or affect decisions that influence the configuration and use of the San Francisco Bay shoreline. The study examines the current functions of San Francisco Bay tidal marshes as well as existing flood risk management strategies. It considers how environmental conditions are likely to change in the era of climate change, and how we can adapt our marshes and our flood risk management practices to accommodate these changes.

Annotated Bibliography for Sycamore Alluvial Woodland Habitat Mapping and Regeneration Studies Project

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | February 27th, 2017

The California sycamore (Platanus racemosa) is a riparian tree native to California and northern Baja California. California sycamore is the dominant species in sycamore

The California sycamore (Platanus racemosa) is a riparian tree native to California and northern Baja California. California sycamore is the dominant species in sycamore alluvial woodland (SAW), a habitat type defined as open to moderately closed, winter-deciduous broad-leafed riparian woodland dominated by well-spaced Platanus racemosa (Holland 1986), and California sycamore also occurs in the “Platanus racemosa woodland alliance” with various associated species (Sawyer, Keeler-Wolf, and Evens 2009). The central California sycamore alluvial woodland (SAW) habitat type is cited in the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Plan (VHP) as a “very rare and threatened land cover type,” and the VHP contains various goals to conserve and restore SAW habitat. The San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) and H. T. Harvey & Associates (HTH), in conjunction with the Santa Clara Habitat Agency, have undertaken the Sycamore Alluvial Woodland Habitat Mapping and Regeneration Studies Project to assess biotic and abiotic factors that influence California sycamore stand health and regeneration. The study is intended to gather and generate data that will be used by the Santa Clara Habitat Agency to guide acquisition and management of California sycamore habitat to meet its conservation goals. 

Applied Aquatic Science: A Business Plan for EcoAtlas

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | March 7th, 2017

The EcoAtlas suite of tools represents a significant investment of time, energy, thought, scientific testing, technical innovation, and capital from a number of state and

The EcoAtlas suite of tools represents a significant investment of time, energy, thought, scientific testing, technical innovation, and capital from a number of state and federal public agencies, grant programs, and NGOs over the course of its 17-year existence. The toolset embodies the scientific and programmatic investments of the California Wetland Monitoring Workgroup (CWMW), its many related state and federal agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and private consultants, as well as the goals of the growing set of stakeholders who have expanded the circle of interested parties over the years. It is known by many names -- “WRAMP” being most common -- but in its essence it comprises the following tools:  ● EcoAtlas map viewer ● Project Tracker ● The California Aquatic Resources Inventory (CARI) map and editor tool ● The California Rapid Assessment Method (CRAM) ● The Riparian Zone Estimator Tool (RipZET) Now highly capable, the toolset represents more than science and technology alone, but a distillation of both, customized to meet specific goals associated with the landscape-scale tracking and characterization of California’s aquatic resources. The US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), for instance, has supported the toolset through multiple development grants so that the collected tools might be complementary to a still-nascent, statewide wetland protection program. Meanwhile, the state’s Coastal and Delta Conservancies require the use of the tool, and regional water boards -- including SF Bay, Lahontan, and North Coast -- regularly employ the tool for mitigation and restoration project tracking. Essentially, EcoAtlas has proven critical to a variety of programs and represents a successful product of broad-based collaboration. However, it currently stands at a crossroads, and its stakeholders must direct the toolset’s future. The following plan is intended to ensure the continued vitality of the toolset. The plan’s success will depend upon the continued collaboration of the public agencies that have supported the toolset thus far, but it must also integrate principles of resilience as it accounts for the tensions that arise as organizations move in different strategic directions. 

Averting disaster: Action now for the Salton Sea

Little Hoover Commission | September 1st, 2015

The Salton Sea is shrinking. Currently the state’s largest inland body of water, as it dries up, the Sea poses a substantial threat to public health and the environment

The Salton Sea is shrinking. Currently the state’s largest inland body of water, as it dries up, the Sea poses a substantial threat to public health and the environment. Left unaddressed, desert winds will lift dust from thousands of acres of newly-revealed lakebed and blow it into population centers, agricultural areas and world-class resort economies. This impending crisis is long in the making, a policy paralysis driven by years of government process without implementing a fix. There are clear, understandable and specific mitigation steps that should be taken immediately. The decisions California leaders make in the near future about this remote desert lake will determine whether this dismal scenario will be averted. The Commission urges the Natural Resources Agency to begin implementing shovel-ready projects and the Governor and Legislature to immediately begin planning and funding the next phase of Salton Sea projects while developing a long-term restoration plan. ... When California signed the QSA, it agreed to mitigate the impacts on the Salton Sea caused by the water transfers. The state clarified its intent to restore the sea through the QSA’s implementing legislation. Experts testified it would be tens of billions of dollars cheaper to mitigate the impacts of a shrinking sea up front than to deal with the adverse impacts of inaction. Fulfilling California’s commitment to the Salton Sea is an element of maintaining the terms of the QSA, which provides water security to many Californians. Continued inaction, and the consequent public health and environmental impacts, could undermine political support for the QSA. Further, in the larger picture, California’s fulfillment of its commitments is critical to its ability to negotiate future difficult agreements. ...    

Bathymetry and Digital Elevation Models of Coyote Creek and Alviso Slough, South San Francisco Bay, California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | March 15th, 2018

In 2010 the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center completed three cruises to map the bathymetry of the main channel and shall

In 2010 the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center completed three cruises to map the bathymetry of the main channel and shallow intertidal mudflats in the southern most part of south San Francisco Bay. The three surveys were merged to generate comprehensive maps of Coyote Creek (from Calaveras Point east to the railroad bridge) and Alviso Slough (from the bay to the town of Alviso) to establish baseline bathymetry prior to the breaching of levees adjacent to Alviso and Guadalupe Sloughs as part of the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project. Since 2010 the USGS has conducted twelve additional surveys to monitor bathymetric change in this region as restoration progresses.

Beale Air Force Base Environmental Cleanup Program Issue 67

U.S. Air Force | October 31st, 2015

Bending the Curve of Global Freshwater Biodiversity Loss: An Emergency Recovery Plan

Oxford University Press (OUP) | February 19th, 2020

Benefit Accounting of Nature-Based Solutions for Watersheds

Pacific Institute | March 1st, 2021

Nature-based solutions (NBS) have the potential to combat pressing global problems, including climate change, water security and biodiversity loss. This guide builds on

Nature-based solutions (NBS) have the potential to combat pressing global problems, including climate change, water security and biodiversity loss. This guide builds on Benefit Accounting of Nature-Based Solutions for Watersheds Landscape Assessment (Shiao et al., 2020), which highlights the barriers for businesses to implement NBS at a large scale. The primary challenge for corporations is that there is no standardized method to identify, estimate and monitor the benefits that NBS can provide, making it hard to build the case for investments in these solutions.

Benefit Accounting of Nature-Based Solutions for Watersheds Landscape Assessment

United Nations (UN) | August 3rd, 2020

This landscape assessment is the outcome of Phase 1 of a tri-phased project and was designed to inform the path forward for engaging the private sector to invest in natu

This landscape assessment is the outcome of Phase 1 of a tri-phased project and was designed to inform the path forward for engaging the private sector to invest in nature-based solutions (NBS). A literature review was undertaken to understand the contemporary thinking around NBS and identify key opportunities and challenges faced by decision makers, practitioners and researchers. Interviews conducted with representatives of businesses, civil society and academia who have already implemented NBS projects or are looking to do so yielded qualitative responses to complement or contrast with the findings from the literature review.

Better late than never: a synthesis of strategic land retirement and restoration in California

Ecological Society of America (Wiley) | August 10th, 2018

Strategic retirement and restoration of agricultural lands is a critical conservation opportunity globally. The objective of this synthesis was to examine whether ecolog

Strategic retirement and restoration of agricultural lands is a critical conservation opportunity globally. The objective of this synthesis was to examine whether ecological habitat assessments, endangered species historical occurrence data, and restoration research can be used to develop evidence-based strategy for retiring and restoring agricultural lands. The San Joaquin Desert (SJD) of California is a prominent example because it experienced an extensive conversion to agriculture. Now, new groundwater regulations will lead to retirement on large areas of agricultural lands over the next 20 years. This presents an opportunity to not only restore some of these lands but also explore the challenges associated with balancing direct human needs with other ecosystem-level functions. California is thus an ideal case study for globally rethinking context-specific, single-case study solutions. We used a systematic review and synthesis to address the following three main questions for habitat recovery of endangered species in the SJD. (1) What are the habitat requirements for key endangered animal species in the region? (2) Is there historical evidence to support an assessment of suitable habitats for these species? (3) What restoration techniques apply to these species? Using the Web of Science and other resources, we reviewed over 1000 independent studies on this topic, refined the evidence, and selected a total of 266 relevant publications. Habitat requirements for each species were described, but there was a critical need to examine quantitative thresholds for these factors to better evaluate habitat suitability of retired lands. There was sufficient evidence of historical vegetation to model suitable habitats and design the physical restoration of retired lands. Direct interventions associated with restoration strategies have been infrequently tested. Sparse and diverse evidence associated with direct experimental manipulations is not uncommon in applied ecology, and synthesis is an excellent tool for highlighting these gaps for future research to examine. This review suggests that retired agricultural land is a viable asset for threatened and endangered species, but to effectively advance restoration research and management, direct tests of restoration techniques and an assessment of relative costs for interventions are needed for a given region.