Monday, September 18, 2023, New York, NY
From rising temperatures, rising sea levels, and severe storms, to a lack of maintenance, infrastructure investment, and public policy support, Puerto Rico has become more vulnerable and unable to handle catastrophic events like those experienced in 2017 with Hurricane Maria.
The natural infrastructure along our coasts, which for thousands of years acted as the first line of defense during extreme events, currently lacks the support of intentional mechanisms to adapt it to a different climatic reality.
The high recurrence of these impacts prevents Puerto Rico from recovering in time to face the next disaster, pushing an already fragile region into a highly vulnerable state.
Involving economically and ecologically impacted communities in design and decision-making processes could very well be part of the solution.
That is why Estuary expresses its Commitment to Action to train and empower 150 high school students to participate in a citizen science program to acquire skills and knowledge in the assessment and restoration of coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangroves.
This commitment expands the Coastal Resilience Module of the Estuary Citizen Scientist Certification, providing these young students with scientific skills through training with expert scientific organizations to scale up coastal resilience efforts across Puerto Rico.
Estuario aspires to inspire these young people to eventually join the blue/green workforce dedicated to coastal resilience; one capable of assessing its own risks, vulnerabilities and assets, particularly after extreme weather events.
The Citizen Scientist Certification program will bring resilience to vulnerable coastal regions of the San Juan Metropolitan Area by restoring the capacity of seascapes to continue serving as the first line of defense.
It is also part of a larger effort to empower the public to develop adaptation and restoration projects in their coastal communities.
