NOAA & The IRLNEP: Partnering On Transformational Habitat Restoration in the IRL

The Indian River Lagoon is a biodiversity hot spot with over 4,000 documented species but decades of habitat loss, pollution, and climate change have taken a toll. With 89% of its seagrass cover reduced since 2011, oyster reefs degraded, and wetlands diminished, restoring this fragile ecosystem requires bold action and collaboration.

That’s exactly what the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program (IRLNEP) is tackling through a $9.4 million NOAA Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience Grant. 

In this episode of One Lagoon – One Voice, host Jessy Wayles sits down with Dr. Duane De Freese, IRLNEP’s executive director, and Kevin Walker, project manager for the grant, to discuss how this ambitious, multi-year restoration effort is unfolding.

Projects are already underway throughout the 156-mile estuary, including seagrass restoration, oyster reef recovery, living shorelines and wetland restoration.

The NOAA grant runs for three years, but as Dr. De Freese emphasizes, this is just the beginning. Lasting restoration depends on continued investment, collaborative governance, and community engagement. “We have the right people in the right places with the right expertise,” he says. “We need to keep working together for that common goal — a healthy lagoon.”

👉 Learn more about the NOAA grant. 

To learn more about the IRL Council and our lagoon home, visit: https://onelagoon.org/

➜ Indian River Lagoon vital signs: https://onelagoon.org/steps-to-success/
➜ Volunteer: https://onelagoon.org/find-volunteer-event/
➜ Help From Home: https://onelagoon.org/helping-from-home/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IRLNEP/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/onelagoon
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onelagoon/