The Role of Prioritization in Funding Habitat Restoration Projects for Salmon Recovery in the Puget Sound Basin

Abstract

Salmon populations in Washington have suffered severe declines in numbers leading to the listing of many as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Populations in Puget Sound are especially threatened due to degradation and loss of habitat resulting from timber harvest, farming, the effects of urbanization, and increasing human population. A critical component of salmon recovery efforts is the funding of restoration projects carried out by a variety of organizations in the area. The vast quantity of degraded habitat and the limited funding available require prioritization of restoration projects. In Washington, two organizations that have a long history of grants for habitat restoration are the Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB) and the NOAA Restoration Center (NOAA RC). Over a thirteen year period the SRFB granted over $217 million and the NOAA RC granted nearly $22 million to habitat restoration projects in the Puget Sound recovery region. This research includes the creation of an original database of salmon habitat restoration projects in Puget Sound funded by the SRFB and the NOAA RC between 1999 and 2011. A restoration project type hierarchy was created based on the scientific literature about restoration and prioritization. This hierarchy was compared to the data gathered from the two organizations to determine if funding decisions align with the recommended prioritization of habitat restoration projects. The results show that overall the funding decisions of the SRFB align with the restoration project hierarchy, although there is annual variability that differs from the hierarchy. The NOAA RC shows funding decisions that vary more annually with priorities that often do not align with the restoration project hierarchy.