Using assisted biotic colonization to cope with habit loss due to sea level rise.

Sea level rise is already damaging coastal areas, and habitat damage will only increase. Wetlands and other coastal habitats serve many useful ecological purposes well documented in the literature. As sea level rise inundates former terrestrial coastal areas, the lost wetlands, cypress forests, spawning areas, and other valuable habitats can be replaced in newly inundated areas by assisted biotic colonization. Some species may be able to colonize without assistance, but some colonizing species may not be successful in the “new normal” climate.