HRI Lecture Series - Dr. Jennifer Pollack - "Using research and restoration to inform management of coastal habitats""

"Using research and restoration to inform management of coastal habitats"

DR. JENNIFER POLLACK
LARRY D. MCKINNEY ENDOWED CHAIR FOR COASTAL CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION
HARTE RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR GULF OF MEXICO STUDIES

Human activities in coastal areas have, in many cases, fundamentally changed the structure and functioning of habitats. Some examples include unsustainable harvesting practices for oysters, vehicle tracks in wind tidal flats, and water quality influences on Serpulid reef. At the same time, widespread support has emerged for restoration of degraded habitats to help to ensure fair access to valued public resources and allow a more equitable distribution of the benefits that coastal habitats provide. To support ongoing resource management decisions at broad spatial scales, it is important to understand the current status and historical changes in coastal habitats, how habitats and associated communities of organisms respond after anthropogenic pressures are removed, and how restoration actions can speed recovery. We discuss findings from analysis of long-term fisheries independent monitoring data, historical aerial imagery, and field sampling of restored and natural habitats in Texas to support planning for landscape scale conservation and restoration efforts. Results can be used to help advance data-driven conservation strategies to ensure the health and persistence of coastal habitats in Texas.

Dr. Pollack is the Larry D. McKinney Endowed Chair for Coastal Conservation and Restoration at the Harte Research Institute at Texas A&M Corpus Christi and a Professor in the Department of Life Sciences. Her research program focuses on understanding change and restoring function to coastal habitats. She works closely with stakeholders including Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), Texas General Land Office, and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to provide science to inform resource management decision making. Dr. Pollack is an appointed member on the TPWD Coastal Resources Advisory Committee—which advises the Chairman and the TPWD Commission on issues that cross fishery and geographic boundaries on the coast of Texas—and serves on the TPWD Oyster Restoration and TPWD Oyster Regulations Workgroups. She also co-leads the Texas Coast Ecosystem Health Report Card Project—a science-based effort that provides a snapshot of the current condition of a given area and highlights missing information that is critical to decision making—to provide local leaders with data to advocate for resources needed to improve ecosystem health.