The climate in Maritime Canada is changing and sea level is rising. Of great concern are the many stretches of dykes that provide protection to agricultural land, infrastructure, homes and communities. These dykes also inhibit salt marshes from naturally shifting with the level of the sea, and absorbing and dispersing the impacts of intense wave action. There are three adaptation strategies for society to consider: raising and reinforcing the dykes, realigning the dykes, or restoring dykelands to natural salt marsh. This report focuses on salt marsh restoration, which is a relatively new activity in the Maritimes, especially around the Bay of Fundy. Only a handful of sites have been restored to date. This report does not deal with unplanned restorations. We focus on community involvement and capacity building during planned restoration projects. To gain a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities for salt marsh restoration in Maritime Canada, a multidimensional study was undertaken by the Mount Allison Coastal Wetlands Institute and the Rural and Small Town Programme of Mount Allison University with funding from Canada's Climate Change Impacts and Adaptations Program and New Brunswick's Environmental Trust Fund.
- Published in
- Canada
