Greetings from the Future Coasts Aotearoa (FCA) project team, all the way from New Zealand!
This picture was taken in Rangaunu Harbour, in New Zealand’s far north. We had been wading through deep mud in mangroves and salt marshes, capturing critical wetland measurements that will help us understand ecosystem responses to sea level rise and habitat evolution. This component of the project aims to identify adaptation tipping points and opportunities for wetland preservation or reestablishment.
FCA aims to transform coastal lowland systems threatened by sea level rise into prosperous ecological communities. Our coastal lowlands are valued for many reasons, including being home to unique ecological wetlands, cultural sites of significance, recreational areas, highly productive agricultural tracts, and popular places to live. Sea level rise will force changes to coastal lowlands and our use of these environments.
Transformation requires developing the right tools to achieve a “whole-of-system” adaptation approach across states of social and cultural well-being, economic systems, and natural environments. FCA addresses this challenge by investigating how we can successfully transform coastal lowlands in terms of what to do, why to do it, and where and when to do it. For more information, visit bit.ly/future-coasts-aotearoa.
—Christo Rautenbach, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Auckland, New Zealand