Adaptive Management of Urban Ecosystem Restoration: Learning from Restoration Managers in Rhode Island, U.S.A.

Urban aquatic restoration can be difficult to accomplish because of complications like pollutants, population density, infrastructure, and expense; however, restoration in urban settings has the potential to provide benefits to many people. The success of urban restoration projects-even those focused primarily on ecological targets-depends on community involvement and managers' understanding and consideration of community needs. However research on the social barriers to urban restoration and strategies managers use to overcome them is relatively rare. This work attempts to fill that gap. Building from interviews with restoration managers involved in urban aquatic restoration projects in Rhode Island, we contribute through an adaptive management approach: identifying and synthesizing the barriers for aquatic restoration projects in urban settings and strategies to overcome them. Ultimately, we suggest potential for double- and triple-loop learning by disentangling and critiquing the frames and policy/power structures that influence decision making in urban aquatic restoration.