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Abstract There are over 700 aquatic ecological assessment approaches across the globe that meet specific institutional goals. However, in many cases, multiple assessment tools are designed to meet the same management need, resulting in a confusing array of overlapping options. Here, we look at six riverine wetland assessments currently in use in Montana, USA, and ask which tool (1) best captures the condition across a disturbance gradient and (2) has the most utility to meet the regulatory or management needs. We used descriptive statistics to compare wetland assessments (n = 18) across a disturbance gradient determined by a landscape development intensity. Factor analysis showed that many of the tools had internal metrics that did not correspond well with overall results, hindering the tool’s ability to act as designed. We surveyed regional wetland managers (n = 56) to determine the extent of their use of each of the six tools and how well they trusted the information the assessment tool provided. We found that the Montana Wetland Assessment Methodology best measured the range of disturbance and had the highest utility to meet Clean Water Act (CWA§ 404) needs. Montana Department of Environmental Quality was best for the CWA§ 303(d) & 305(b) needs. The US Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Riparian Assessment Tool was the third most used by managers but was the tool that had the least ability to distinguish across a disturbance, followed by the US Bureau of Land Management’s Proper Functioning Condition.
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BLUE CARBON AND WETLANDS COMPENSATORY MITIGATION: FITTING A CLIMATE-SIZED PEG INTO A WATERSHED-SIZED HOLE
This Article seeks to provide policymakers and coastal resource managers with detailed insights into the challenges and opportunities for incorporating considerations of “blue carbon” into compensatory mitigation required under Clean Water Act Section 404. As our understanding of blue carbon systems deepens, so too does the urgency of responding to the global climate crisis. Commentators have encouraged the inclusion of blue carbon into existing domestic policies, including Clean Water Act Section 404. It is the authors’ hope that focused articles such as this can shine a light on which approaches might be most tenable under existing law, directing efforts towards workable solutions.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1832178
- PAR ID:
- 10561142
- Publisher / Repository:
- Sea Grant law and policy journal
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Sea Grant law and policy journal
- ISSN:
- 0197-9906
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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