Avoiding conflict and seeking synergy: Toward an integrated framework for restoration planning in coastal Louisiana and other coastal zones

Hurricane Katrina provided a wakeup call for all involved in coastal planning in Louisiana that the historical stovepipe approach of addressing ecosystem restoration, levee protection, navigation and other coastal activities separately had been a contributing factor to the current degraded state of the coast. The State of Louisiana has now linked planning for protection of communities with ecosystem restoration and has produced a Master Plan for the coast which seeks to address the issues comprehensively. A similarly integrated approach is being pursued in South San Francisco Bay where both salt pond restoration and protection from flooding are important community goals. While such planning is viable at the strategic or conceptual stage, the actual implementation of an integrated approach requires system level analysis tools that inform the tradeoffs inevitable in a comprehensive approach. In Louisiana, conflicts between protection from flooding and restoration goals occur when levees block or alter natural hydrologic exchanges. However, effective use of limited freshwater sources is the key to restoration of some parts of the Louisiana coast and the use of navigation channels as conduits, or floodgates as valves for water management, is likely an essential component of a sustainable system. In the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta recent reports have called for the opportunistic use of water resources for both the ecosystem and water supply, an approach that may require additional engineering and water storage structures. The analytical tools traditionally used in ecosystem restoration cannot alone meet the needs of such integrated planning. To avoid conflict and identify opportunities for synergy, a new suite of restoration planning tools are required for the 21^st century.