Alabama Coastal Comprehensive Plan (ACCP): A Guide for Resiliency
By Eliska Morgan, Coastal Restoration Coordinator, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resoruces
As reported in a previous issue of Coastal Connection, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has partnered with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Mobile District (USACE), the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, and the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP) to develop a constituent-informed, science-based coastal comprehensive plan to strengthen the economic, environmental, and social resilience of coastal Alabama for current and future generations.
By maximizing the use of resources in support of this comprehensive planning effort, the ACCP will create a roadmap for local, state and federal officials as they seek to:
- reduce the susceptibility of residential, commercial and public infrastructure to storm damages, climate change, and sea level rise;
- improve habitats for freshwater, coastal, and marine resources to support commercial and recreational harvest;
- assist in the restoration of natural and human-made features damaged by erosion or unwise land use or development decisions;
- promote long-term erosion reduction during future natural hazards; and
- promote diversification of economies within the two coastal counties as a means of economic resilience from future hazards.
As part of the initial development of the ACCP, nineteen visioning sessions were conducted last year – seventeen with targeted focus groups and two with a broader public audience. Using input received in the visioning sessions, a survey is being developed by the MBNEP to further identify and classify priority issues. When given the opportunity, we hope you will take the time to participate in the MBNEP survey this summer, as this process will generate valuable information for the USACE to develop vulnerability and adaptability assessments.
It is not too late to share your coastal vision on the ACCP website at accp.usace.army.mil. You may also go here to get the latest update on the ACCP as well as to view comments received thus far on an interactive map.
