Ecology of Jamaica Bay: History, Status, and Resilience

Coastal estuaries are renowned for their ecological diversity and abundance (e.g., Beck et al., 2003; Bertness, 2006). The same qualities that attract a variety of species draw people to settle on their shores and even build cities. Over time, these biologically rich environments can either be overwhelmed by human activities or relieved if people take proactive steps to conserve and restore estuaries and their watersheds, making them more resilient to environmental and human-induced change. These are challenges we address in this chapter reviewing the history, current status of, and prospects for resilience of Jamaica Bay’s ecology.