Engaging stakeholders in coastal adaptation planning in light of climate change in the Pacific Northwest: Comparing Knowledge to Action Networks for two coastal communities
Janan Evans-Wilent1, Katherine Serafin2, John Bolte3, Peter Ruggiero1, Cynthia Schwartz1 and John Stevenson1, (1)Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States, (2)Oregon State University, College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Corvallis, OR, United States, (3)Oregon State University, Biological and Ecological Engineering, Corvallis, OR, United States
Abstract:
Coastal communities along the US West Coast and elsewhere are at risk of climate change impacts to erosion and flooding hazards due to sea-level rise, changing storminess patterns, and possible changes to the frequency of major El Niño events. Due to the complexity and diversity of coastal regions, which face unique problems and concerns, individualized adaptation strategies at the county level are appropriate for successful communication and decision-making. By scaling the adaptation plan to a county level, we are able to recruit local decision makers and stakeholders who are familiar with their region and tied to the fate of their coastline. Involving local stakeholders in adaptation planning is crucial for producing successful coastal management plans for the future that balance local concerns and economic drivers with realistic coastal change projections. Here we use
Envision, a multi agent-based framework for policy assessment and alternative futuring, to project future climate change and policy scenarios to allow local stakeholders to understand and visualize how policy decisions may affect coastal vulnerability.
In this study, we compare and contrast adaptation strategies being developed by both Tillamook County, OR and Grays Harbor County, WA, two regions of the US West Coast that have experienced vastly different coastal evolution in the last few decades and therefore have significant differences in their exposure to coastal flood and erosion hazards. We use a ‘Knowledge to Action Network’ (KTAN) approach where we interact deeply with stakeholders to identify local values, beliefs, issues and knowledge gaps in order to collaboratively develop appropriate policy scenarios to explore in Envision. We compare and contrast the varying coastal hazards exposure, demographics, KTAN composition, levels of stakeholder involvement, and goals in each location in order to further develop and strengthen this approach to adaptation planning. By building on local knowledge to inform climate-resilient strategies, we can not only communicate the uncertainty of coastal impacts due to climate change in a useful framework, but also increase the local understanding of climate resiliency and ultimate adaptation planning for coastal communities.
