2024/11/01 by Liz Skilton, Anna C. Osland, Emma Willis +4 · 1 voice
Environmental Science · #Coastal and Marine Management
paper · doi:10.1080/08920753.2024.2440947
The state of Louisiana has invested a significant amount of time and effort in restoring and protecting the coast. These endeavors put Louisiana at the forefront of worldwide coastal change mitigation and offer the opportunity to examine a large number of mature restoration projects and their community impact. Our study uses an interactive social science method of collecting qualitative data known as “History Harvests” to evaluate community perspectives on long-term coastal restoration. Our findings show that communities desire to be involved with coastal restoration projects at all stages of development but often lack access to the projects and information about them beyond installation. The inaccessibility of the projects and information hinders continued support for local projects and larger coastal restoration efforts. This research provides lessons on better informing communities and harnessing their interest in coastal restoration efforts to increase support for future investment in the coast.