Stakeholder Engagement
A key to implementation of these restoration projects is a high level of collaboration with community partners forming a unified vision for building resilience through projects that enhance ecosystem function . Collaborative partnerships among various stakeholders have been formed to assess issues within our social-ecological system and allow us to apply appropriate knowledge to develop integrative solutions . However , the inclusion of naturebased solutions to address ongoing issues of resilience have not been discussed in depth in the past .
Engaging key stakeholders within the public and private sectors helps to solidify long-term goals for the community and identify specific actions to address vulnerabilities to meet these goals . In the creation of this document , the project team used information gathered by engaging individuals from each key stakeholder organization through information sessions and semi-structured interviews . Following initial conversations about the project , individuals from each participating organization were interviewed to gather relevant information on perspectives of current environmental conditions , responses to resilience issues , and future considerations for nature-based solutions . The project team identified overarching themes that were discussed and summarized below :
Functionality : The use of these practices must serve a purpose and function properly to meet the needs of the community and property owners . In a similar aspect , monitoring efforts following their implementation are needed in order to make a determination on whether projects are meeting their objectives .
Aesthetics : The outward appearance of implemented projects will determine the level of acceptance within the community and the ability to pursue future projects . Visitors and property owners are attracted to Kiawah Island because of the connections to nature and wildlife . With Kiawah Island ’ s focus on designing with nature in mind , there is a push for these projects to blend in with the natural environment and the greater community while also meeting the aesthetic needs of residents .
Costs : With implementation of these solutions potentially having high upfront costs , the functional success of the projects was stressed . All of the current and future associated costs with the projects should be considered , including design , review , implementation , maintenance , and monitoring .
Maintenance : Successfully implemented projects should also include minimal maintenance requirements . In order for these novel practices to be viewed as solutions , they should be easily sustainable and not create additional issues for land managers and property owners to address .
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NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS MANUAL FOR KIAWAH ISLAND