Coastal restoration: Where have we been, where are we now, and where should we be going?

Advances in coastal restoration in the last decade are documented in this collection of papers that were commissioned for a symposium held at Restore America's Estuary's inaugural national conference, Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration, Saving Our Coastal Heritage. The symposium presented the current status of our ability to (1) achieve restoration goals, (2) restore fish and wildlife habitat, (3) increase the understanding of coastal habitats and the role of restoration in maintaining them, and (4) use adaptive management approaches. The papers illustrate some of the progress made to date in the restoration of coastal habitats. They also point to the need for continuing study of restoration and for extending the practice of restoration to include a human dimension. The work presented demonstrates the value of science to the management of the nation's resources and confirms the potential of restoration to repair damaged ecosystems.