Dating back to 2001, the majority of the SCDNR’s intertidal oyster (Crassostrea virginica ) restoration efforts have focused on increasing environmental awareness and stewardship and the evaluation of the ecosystem service of habitat provision to a diversity of other organisms . More recently, however, the ability of these intertidal oyster reefs to protect and restore fringing salt marshes (as illustrated in Figure 1 ) has become particularly relevant in the context of shoreline erosion and habitat loss. The loss of salt marsh habitats is particularly concerning as salt marsh is one of the most biologically-productive and ecologically-valuable habitats in the coastal region.
This presentation will present project results derived from both on-the-ground and remote sensing monitoring efforts, specifically related to temporal patterns of oyster reef development and salt marsh habitat accretion. The information presented will focus on selected case studies for sites established and monitored through research funded by the NOAA’s NERRS Science Collaborative (2015-2019) and the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resources Management (2019-2022). This information was used to help develop new state of South Carolina regulations and is continuing to support their implementation . Through these monitoring efforts, researchers have also developed some important lessons learned regarding living shoreline performance that will be shared in this presentation. Important considerations include physical shoreline parameters , where materials are placed on the shoreline, and the relative needs for periodic maintenance for different living shoreline materials.