Use of structured decision-making to explicitly incorporate environmental process understanding in management of coastal restoration projects: Case study on barrier islands of the northern Gulf of Mexico.

摘要: Coastal ecosystem management typically relies on subjective interpretation of scientific understanding, with limited methods for explicitly incorporating process knowledge into decisions that must meet multiple, potentially competing stakeholder objectives. Conversely, the community lacks identifying which advancements in system understanding would have highest value to decision-makers. A case point is barrier island restoration, where decision-makers lack tools objectively use determine how optimally contingency funds when project construction this dynamic environment does not proceed as expected. In study, collaborative structured decision-making (SDM) was evaluated an approach incorporate mid-construction and identify priority gaps from a perspective. The focus restoration at Ship Island, Mississippi, sand will be used close extensive breach currently divides island. SDM estimate damage may occur during construction, guide repair within confines availability funding minimize adverse impacts Sand identified more limiting than funds, unrepaired major breaching negatively impact Repairing minor immediately determined generally cost effective (depending longshore extent) risking weakened project. Key process-understanding relative were relationship width formation; amounts lost breaching, lowering, or narrowing berm; potential breaches self-heal versus developing breach; between upstream nourishment resiliency berm storms. This application prototype using support engineering projects environments arise; highlights uncertainty about physical processes limit ability make robust decisions; demonstrates direct incorporation process-based models formal adaptive decision framework.