Coastal Stakeholders' Perceptions of Sea Level Rise Adaptation Planning in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Planning for sea level rise (SLR) is a complex process that involves scientific uncertainty and local and regional political tradeoffs. As part of a 6-year transdisciplinary research project in the northern Gulf of Mexico, we conducted focus groups with coastal stakeholders (natural resource managers, community planners, and environmental communicators) to gain a better understanding of their planning and adaptation activities for SLR. This paper reports on participants' perceptions about adaptation and their current adaptation activities and strategies. While stakeholders were concerned about SLR and thought adaptation had challenges, they still shared optimism and a commitment to planning. The findings identify different types of SLR adaptation initiatives in which participants were involved as well as types of perceived barriers to adaptation planning, and major recommended strategies to address them. The paper concludes with a discussion of findings, connections to related SLR adaptation literature, practical implications for coastal resiliency, and directions for future research.