Transitional habitats and transformative dialogues: Use of the resist-accept-direct (RAD) framework to identify tidal freshwater forested wetland management actions

Abstract

Tidal freshwater forested wetlands (TFFWs) are ecologically and culturally valuable ecosystems increasingly threatened by sea level rise and land use change. South Carolina contains the largest extent of TFFWs in the United States, including 36,530 ha in the lower Waccamaw River Basin. As these systems undergo ecological transformation, new tools are needed to support adaptive management under novel conditions. The Resist–Accept–Direct (RAD) framework provides a structured approach for exploring a full range of potential responses to environmental change.

We present a case study of applying RAD through a facilitated one-day workshop involving natural and social scientists, land managers, and local decision-makers that occurred as part of a 3 day conference on TFFWs in March of 2024. Participants reviewed plausible ecological futures and engaged in structured brainstorming to develop a RAD-aligned menu of management actions linked to shared goals and objectives. Six times more actions were identified post-workshop compared to pre-workshop inputs, indicating a substantial expansion of perceived decision space and available alternatives.

This study demonstrates that RAD menu development is a practical tool for fostering deliberative engagement in coastal wetland systems. When supported by preparatory information and inclusive facilitation, even short workshops can generate diverse, actionable strategies for managing ecological transformation. These findings offer a transferable model for applying RAD across estuarine and coastal landscapes facing accelerating change.