Bald Head Island Conservancy: Catalyzing Small Changes in Climate Change Adaptation

Bald Head Island is a barrier island located off the coast of North Carolina. Its low lying elevation and shifting sand dunes make it acutely vulnerable to sea level rise and other impacts of climate change such as storm surges and changes in oceanic currents. The Bald Head Island Conservancy has developed a comprehensive public outreach campaign to help educate community members about the potential impacts of climate change to the island and individual choices that can help improve the socioecological system’s resilience. Staff work with community members to identify tangible solutions to future problems. The Conservancy has attained funding to build a research and educational facility and is developing a knowledge sharing network, the Coastal Barrier Island Network, with other barrier islands to facilitate the transfer of knowledge and lessons learned as communities begin to adapt to climate change.

Read the full CAKE case study here.