A new Federal coastal adaptation resource highlights strategies to protect natural and cultural resources in coastal parks that can be applied in coastal landscapes across the country. 

The “Coastal Adaptation Strategies Handbook” and “Coastal Adaptation Strategies: Case Studies” reports summarize the state of National Park Service (NPS) climate adaptation and key approaches currently in practice or considered across coastal national parks to guide adaptation planning and enhance resilience. The reports highlight innovative planning tools, collaborative opportunities, and lessons learned from 24 real-world coastal adaptation examples across 15 states. The coastal adaptation case studies highlight approaches that include evaluation of park-by-park projections of sea level rise and vulnerability of natural and cultural assets and infrastructure to associated effects as well as implementation of actions to prepare for current and future change.

The reports represent a key milestone in the evolution of NPS coastal adaptation efforts. The Handbook evaluates NPS policy and provides planning guidance and decision support tools such as vulnerability assessments, scenario planning, and Climate-Smart Conservation resources, all embedded within the context of the NPS planning framework. The Handbook summarizes expected impacts, details available data through partnerships such as the Landscape Conservation Cooperatives, and explores opportunities for advancing coastal adaptation across the landscape. The adaptation efforts described in the Case Studies provide on-the-ground, management-relevant examples of adaptation concepts so that the work may be replicated and improved upon to address the unique resource challenges of coastal areas. For additional information, visit the NPS Coastal Adaptation Webpage.

The NPS Coastal Adaptation Handbook is a product of NPS authors with reviews by USGCRP member agency staff including the Army Corps of Engineers, USGS, and NOAA. Several of the individual case studies in the document highlight NPS collaboration with other USGCRP member agencies, and many use scientific resources from USGCRP member agencies.