Adapting Coastal Management To Climate Change: Mitigating Our Shrinking Shorelines

Keywords

climate change; coastal management; Florida; gopher tortoise; Gopherus polyphemus; land cover; sea-level rise

Abstract

Sea-level rise due to climate change is a major threat to coastal ecosystems worldwide. Current management to reduce beach erosion often focuses on protecting human structures and research on effects on wildlife is lacking. Using a combination of hierarchical models and generalized linear models, we evaluated how the gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) colonized constructed dunes along coastal scrub at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, central Florida, USA. Over 2 years, we surveyed tortoise populations along natural dunes and 2 constructed dunes (completed in 2012 and in 2014) and estimated tortoise density each summer and winter. Our models indicated that tortoise density along the 2014 dune was comparable to that of natural dunes ((Formula presented.) = 0–8 tortoises/ha), and density peaked at a mean of 21 tortoises/ha along the 2012 constructed dune. Gopher tortoises rapidly colonized constructed dunes, and dune construction may represent effective management against habitat loss for this species. © 2017 The Wildlife Society.

Publication Date

8-1-2017

Publication Title

Journal of Wildlife Management

Volume

81

Issue

6

Number of Pages

982-989

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.21275

Socpus ID

85026289583 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85026289583

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