Stakeholder-Driven Research in Phragmites Management in New England Salt Marshes

Abstract

Overview Methods of resource management and conservation originated in economic theory during the late 19th century. Historically, communities controlled their environments to enhance development and maximize the harvest of key species. For generations tidal marshes were drained and tidal flooding eliminated in New England to utilize coastal property. These methods improved harvests and development but left coastal ecosystems vulnerable and invasive plants have begun to out-compete native plants. More recently, new theories of conservation biology have focused on the role of humans in the management of local ecosystems. We now recognize the benefits of ecosystem services such as water filtration, breeding habitat, and aesthetic value to society that do not necessarily have direct financial rewards. However, management strategies are still frequently imposed in a top-down fashion. This type of management is largely done by small groups of experts imposing strategies over large regions. In the process, local community needs and values are often ignored resulting in dissatisfaction and even hostility towards managers. Effective invasive species management must first focus on the environmental changes that have occurred as a consequence of the invasion and then develop a strategy to restore the system back to the original state (Schroeder and Keller 1990). Without accurate environmental monitoring, these changes are best understood through the experiences of local Stakeholder-Driven Research in Phragmites Management in New England Salt Marshes fiEld notEs