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GEOSS Support for Decision-Making in the Coastal Zone: Managing and Mitigating the Impacts of Human Activities and Natural Hazards in the Coastal Zone

A workshop series organized by the GEO Coastal Zone Community of Practice

Earth Observation Support for Sustainable Tourism in Small Island States
March 9-11, 2011, Puerto Rico


PUERTO RICO COASTAL ZONE VULNERABILITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION PROGRAM

Kasey R. Jacobs; Ernesto L. Diaz
DNER Puerto Rico Coastal Zone Management Program

The Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources Coastal Zone Management Division has partnered with numerous stakeholders to develop a Climate Variability and Change Vulnerability Assessment in conjunction with a Puerto Rico-wide Climate Change Adaptation Strategy. To coordinate this effort NOAA placed a Coastal Management Fellow in the CZM Division from 2010-2012. Employing spatial analysis tools such as satellite remote sensing and GIS the fellow has been working with multiple stakeholders throughout the islands of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean to accurately assess vulnerability to life and property and, moreover, to identify and assess feasible adaptation strategies for government and civil society to implement in the near future.

Puerto Rico is comprised of the big island and a series of smaller islands, cays, and islets located in the northern portion of the Caribbean plate between Hispaniola and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It is commonly exposed to tropical storms, hurricanes, and winter swells affecting its coastal population and resources. Several coastal areas of Puerto Rico have experienced important coastal geomorphic changes, beach erosion, coral reef system degradation from increased sedimentation, and increased vulnerability of private and public properties from winter and storm generated wave action. During recent decades there has been an increase in the demand for space in coastal lands to construct second homes and tourism related facilities. Many shoreline hardening structures, groins, and breakwaters have affected littoral processes increasing vulnerability and coastal community exposure to coastal hazards. Exacerbating these issues is the looming threat of climate change. Increases in sea surface temperatures, rising sea levels, more intense storms and hurricanes, changes in precipitation, ecosystem changes, and ocean acidification are just some of many impacts Puerto Rico is planning for today, to adapt tomorrow.

This poster will graphically describe the Program design, methods, and partners. The methodologies being used for the vulnerability assessment and island-wide adaptation strategy are: (1) multi-stakeholder collaboration; (2) spatial analyses and a coastal vulnerability index using climate variability projections from the program’s numerous partners and previously published reports to identify coastal communities currently or potentially vulnerable; (3) identifying geomorphologic features and wetlands that provide protection to these vulnerable communities from coastal hazards; (4) developing risk matrices and adaptation strategy feasibility matrices; and finally (5) identifying and prioritizing appropriate adaptation strategies and policies for Puerto Rico’s decision makers.

The goal of the poster is two-fold. To share methods with those states, countries, and island territories that are also in the process of assessing their coastal vulnerabilities and devising adaptation plans and, more importantly, to foster discussion about the PR project in order to receive input from workshop participants. Gaining useful feedback from other climate researchers, climate adaptation and disaster management practitioners will help ensure Phase II of the Puerto Rico project is based on robust methods and results.


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