Diagnosing Barriers to California Bay-Delta Wetland Restoration Implementation: Extending the Adaptation Perspective

Climate adaptation increasingly considers wetland restoration as a nature-based solution to reduce flood risk and provide co-benefits such as species protection, water resource management, and public recreation access. However, barriers must be identified and overcome to increase the pace and scale of wetland restoration for adaptive benefits. We argue existing climate adaptation barriers frameworks insufficiently address physical and ecological barriers that become apparent during on-the-ground implementation of wetland restoration projects. This paper diagnoses barriers to wetland restoration projects in the California Bay-Delta Estuary via semi-structured interviews with 59 project developers and regional restoration policymakers, funders, and managers across nine case study projects. Findings suggest common challenges emerge around conflicts among regulatory authorities and insufficient funding for post-project stewardship. We recommend potential solutions to address key barriers and increase the pace of wetland restoration. Adaptation in developed coastal estuaries worldwide increasingly requires nature-based solutions like wetland restoration; such a framework is imperative to diagnose barriers and identify interventions that can increase investment in these complex social-ecological systems.