NCCOS Project Explorer (NPE)

Assessment of Tidal Creeks and Human Health and Well Being(2010)

Project Description:
As the importance and complexity of human dimensions in coastal ecosystem resources and management becomes a central focus for understanding changes in coastal processes and resource health, it is necessary to consider a range of human activities. One framework for analysis may be suggested by Quality of Life (QoL) research which has become more prominent as a social research topic as developed countries have come to realize that material wealth and technological progress does not necessarily correspond to improved QoL. The aspect of QoL work relevant to coastal ecosystems and coastal managers is the Quality of Place (QoP) where we live. Human ecology recognizes that humans are a part of the ecosystem. Ecological principals are applied to understand human societies and activities. This perspective easily integrates into ecosystem frameworks developed to link stress with response in coastal systems. As we consider QoP we consider data representing indicators of healthy and productive ecosystems that include human health and well-being. For local decision makers, this environmental aspect of quality of life must include parameters to measure the health and well being of the environment and the activities of people interacting with it as well as their attitudes and beliefs about that system. Estuarine and tidal creek systems are highly valued for the range of ecosystem services they provide including their aesthetic appeal. Coastal uplands adjacent to these areas are highly sought after for various types of development (i.e. homes, resorts, retirement locations, etc). Being able to assess the potential QoP given development schemes and natural resources will provide decision-makers a way to synthesize data into a useful frame. Initially this work is conducted in South Carolina. Later work will be expanded to GA and NC.

Expected Outcome:
Researchers at the Center for Human Health Risk (CHHR) are developing a QoP index to support these predictions and choices. The goals of this research are to: (1) Define QoP with respect to tidal creek watersheds and understand what factors, if any, can serve as quality of place indicators and (2) Provide a tool based on the conceptual model of stress/response ecosystem linkages in tidal creeks that will allow coastal decision makers to assess existing quality of place and predict future quality of place in planned and re-developed tidal creek areas, (3) Link quality of coast ecosystems with human health.