Request for Proposals: Recontamination of Restored Wetlands in the Hudson-Raritan Estuary

Request for Proposals: Literature Review on Recontamination of Restored Wetlands in the Hudson-Raritan Estuary

The New York-New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program’s (HEP’s) Restoration Work Group seeks a researcher or team of researchers to conduct a scientific literature review on the relative risks and benefits of urban wetland restoration to wildlife in the Hudson-Raritan Estuary.

HEP’s Restoration Work Group brings together technical experts to share best practices, identify solutions to problems common to the restoration community, and pursue research and greater understanding that leads to better restoration projects and overall habitat quality. This group develops and steers the habitat and ecological health actions in HEP’s Action Agenda and recommends habitat restoration and research projects for HEP and others.

Habitat loss is the most significant driver of threatened species extinction globally, and wetland restoration is needed to meet federal and local habitat goals. Wetlands restored in urban areas have unique challenges, such as historical and ongoing contamination, that pose risks to wildlife; however, restored urban wetlands also provide numerous ecosystem services and benefits to wildlife, and restoration inaction carries its own risks. HEP is requesting proposals for a literature review that evaluates how the (re)contamination of restored urban wetlands impacts wildlife, weighing these risks against the benefits of urban restoration and the risks of inaction, such as habitat loss. The deliverable should be a manuscript for submission to a peer-reviewed journal that can be used to inform decision-making in the Hudson-Raritan Estuary.