Habitat restoration is the process of returning a polluted or degraded habitat—such as a salt marsh, eelgrass bed, or river—to its natural condition. The goal of habitat restoration is to help the structure and functions of habitats, enabling them to play their natural roles in the ecosystem. Habitat restoration projects expedite theto rebuild a healthy ecosystem that functions like it did prior to being degraded. Restoration projects usually address entire habitats that can support numerous species, rather than focusing on single species. In the Gulf of Maine, priorities for habitat restoration include:

• salt marshes cut off from the tides by roads, railways, dikes and other tidal restrictions,
• eelgrass beds destroyed by poor water quality, dredging, and other human impacts, and
• rivers with dams and other structures that block the passage of salmon and other fish.

Habitat restoration:

Restoration activities may include but are not limited to:

Typically, habitat restoration projects are conducted through partnerships of federal, state, and local government agencies and/or private and nonprofit groups. Sometimes individual landowners choose to restore habitats on their property, receiving financial and technical assistance from the government.

Even when the best engineering and scientific techniques are used, habitat restoration efforts cannot ensure that a site recovers entirely from human impacts. Habitats may regain some or approximately all of their natural structure and functions, but if the habitat has been severely degraded, it can take many years after a restoration project to recover. It is better to protect habitats from human impacts than to rely on restoration as a solution for habitat loss and degradation.

Habitat restoration projects have been implemented in each of the five states and provinces that border the Gulf of Maine—Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia—and more are being planned. Community groups, non-government organizations, and academic scientists are working in partnership with federal, state, and local governments to return tidal flooding to salt marshes, re-establish seagrass beds, improve fish passage in rivers, and accomplish many other types of restoration projects. Map of projects

In partnership with the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Services Community-based Restoration Program, the Gulf of Maine Council provides grants to further the goal of habitat restoration and to support a strategic approach to marine, coastal, and riverine habitat restoration within Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. Non-government organizations (e.g., community associations, cooperatives, civic groups), municipalities, schools, and tribal and state governments are eligible to compete for funding made available through the GOMC-NOAA Habitat Restoration Grants Program. The Habitat Restoration Grants Program is coordinated by the Gulf of Maine Council's Habitat Restoration Subcommittee, and members of the Subcommittee are actively engaged in restoration efforts throughout the region.

In 2004, the Gulf of Maine Council produced the Gulf of Maine Habitat Restoration Strategy (PDF, 928 KB). It focuses on four habitat types: (1) riverine, (2) intertidal, (3) subtidal including nearshore and offshore waters, and (4) beaches, sand dunes, and islands. The Strategy includes the following components:

In recent decades, scientists have developed methods to restore coastal habitats to regain their natural state and function. Habitat restoration can help ensure that the Gulf of Maine ecosystem will fulfill vital biological functions and meet socioeconomic needs into the future. Restoration accelerates the natural recovery process by years and, in some cases, decades. As restoration becomes an increasingly significant tool to alleviate environmental problems, it is important to ensure that restoration occurs on a regional or ecosystem basis and that it addresses human interactions with nature.

Regional restoration planning complements other tools like conservation, habitat enhancement, and protection that, taken together, provide a comprehensive solution for watershed- and ecosystem-wide problems. Under a regional restoration planning process, state and federal agencies and nongovernmental organizations work with the public to identify, select, and implement the most appropriate restoration techniques that achieve the greatest benefits for entire regions and watersheds.

Consult the Project planning pages if you or your organization are interested in conducting a habitat restoration project. If you would like to volunteer to help with a project, consult the Volunteer opportunities page. The people listed on the Contacts page are available to answer questions.