Abstract
Land conservation is a nature-based approach to managing flood risks from fluvial flooding, coastal storm surge, and sea-level rise. This poster presents the design of ongoing research that aims to understand how New Hampshire’s (NH) coastal watershed municipalities implement land protection and conservation to reduce flood risk, the roles of local communities, land conservation organizations, and regional planning agencies in land conservation for flood risk management, how local decision-makers and stakeholders perceive flooding risks, and what institutional changes are needed to facilitate nature-based flood risk management. Research methods include (1) semi-structured interviews with individuals in New Hampshire representing a broad range of professional roles related to land conservation, including town officials, land trusts, environmental and planning organizations, and state agencies, and (2) analysis of existing studies, plans, and reports on flood risk management in New Hampshire. This poster also presents a framework to categorize how municipalities develop their land conservation priorities.
This poster was presented virtually at the UNH Annual Graduate Research Conference on April 20 – 21, 2020.
Department
Natural Resources and the Environment
Publication Date
4-2020
Grant/Award Number and Agency
Support for this project was provided by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture through the NH Agricultural Experiment Station Award #NH00651.
Document Type
Presentation
Recommended Citation
Zahorik, M., Ashcraft, C.M. 2020. Nature-Based Municipal Flood Resilience: Land Conservation Strategies in New Hampshire’s Coastal Watershed. UNH Annual Graduate Research Conference. April 20 – 21. Durham, NH.