The Coastal Barrier Island Network (CBIN), an interdisciplinary national research group, was established under sponsorship of the National Science Foundation in 2008 to provide a forum for bio-geo-social scientists and managers to identify research questions and management strategies to promote sustainability of ecosystem services on coastal barriers.  CBIN’s second meeting in Galveston, Texas, following Hurricane Ike , provided an opportunity to observe first-hand post- hurricane damage on the Chenier Plain, Bolivar Peninsula, and Galveston Island.  Several specific questions were posed at this meeting.  What lessons can be learned from the destruction caused by Hurricane Ike?  What should the focus of future research be to develop better management practices for the environment and community on coastal barriers?  How can information be communicated between stakeholders? To answer these questions, the members of CBIN developed six major thematics  that may  lead to better overall management of these critical  coastal ecosystems .

Results/Conclusions

The six major themes that emerged during the CBIN meeting were : 

1.       There are critical differences between natural and human-dominated barrier island landforms and ecosystems due to biophysical processes, spatial and temporal dynamics, and anthropogenic modification. 

2.       The processes that influence vulnerability and resilience of coastal barrier ecosystems must be better understood across a broad spectrum of spatial and temporal scales.

3.       Economic valuation tools such as cost-benefit analysis and rapid assessment methods utilizing remote sensing, GIS, and field-validation techniques can be used to generate collaborative solutions for advocates of different stakeholder perspectives.

4.       There is a need for new methods for communicating more effectively with stakeholders (decision makers, government agencies, teachers, local public, developers, etc.) about emerging science and the implementation of management strategies.

5.       There is a need to address the the strategies of managing for stabilization versus sustaining natural processes, along with a more integrated application of restoration alternatives that would include native flora and fauna.  

6.       In the future, there is potential for the development of a unified conceptual framework for managing unconsolidated coasts, although much work remains.

These future goals identify critical areas for future research and science-based management decisions that are needed to  sustain coastal barrier ecosystems of the eastern seaboard and Gulf Coast of the USA and Mexico.