Coastal landscapes across the Gulf are facing increasing pressure from sea-level rise, flooding and habitat transformation. Land managers, resource specialists and community leaders are being asked to make decisions that will shape not just the next few years, but the future of the places they steward.
The goal of this training was simple: to build a foundational understanding of RAD, what it is, how it works and how it can guide intentional, transparent decision-making in the face of unavoidable change.
Who joined us?
Our Community Outreach and Strategic Training Resilience Institute (COAST RI) team, with extension professionals from Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant, PLACE and Mississippi State University Coastal Research and Extension Center, had a mix of participants: Extension specialists, natural resource managers and outdoor recreation professionals. Each came with their own priorities and connections to their land, from habitat restoration to recreation access to cultural preservation. When we asked them what they valued most about the places they steward, many spoke about preserving land for future generations, ensuring outdoor resources remain accessible, educating communities on responsible use and restoring habitat and cultural habitats effectively and efficiently.
What is RAD?
At its core, RAD gives us a shared language for talking about change. Its three options are:
- Resist: Actively holding on to what we have by intervening to reduce vulnerability or restore lost conditions.
- Accept: Allowing changes to happen, even if it leads to unprecedented conditions, often with uncertain consequences.
- Direct: Guiding or facilitating change toward a future state that aligns with emerging conditions and desired ecosystem services.
Crucially, these are intentional decisions, not accidental outcomes. RAD is not a checklist or a prescription. It’s a menu of options, not a ladder. Each option has its trade-offs, each depending on context.
Making the choice: The decision tree
One of the most practical tools we shared was the RAD decision tree, a series of guiding questions designed to help managers choose a path.
It starts by asking:
- What is the degree of change or threat we’re facing?
- What is feasible, both technically and financially, to intervene?
- What outcomes matter most to our stakeholders and to our communities?
From there, participants can see where their answers lead:
- High intervention + desire to preserve = Resist.
- Low intervention + acceptance of change = Accept.
- High intervention + readiness for transformation = Direct.
The takeaway? Don’t stumble onto a default path. Make your decisions intentionally and transparently, aligning actions with your site’s objectives, feasibility and values.
Putting RAD into practice
After the overview, participants worked through four real-world scenarios:
- A Gulf barrier island critical for turtle nesting.
- The Upper Mississippi River, facing hydrologic and habitat shifts.
- Housing in hurricane-prone areas.
- A coastal health clinic at risk of flooding.
For each, participants identified goals, actions and trade-offs for resisting, accepting or directing change. This exercise helped them see how the same framework can look very different depending on the context.
What we heard
In our closing discussion, participants shared some of the challenges they anticipate, like balancing competing priorities, managing limited resources and navigating community expectations. We then shared some key takeaways from the session, including that RAD is a flexible, values-based framework rather than a rigid formula; that each pathway has its own trade-offs depending on context; and that seeing real-world examples helped make abstract concepts more concrete. Many expressed an interest in Part 2: Site-specific Workshops, where we would work with them directly to apply RAD to their own lands and projects.
Looking Ahead
This training was just the first step. By introducing the RAD framework, we’ve opened the door to more intentional, transparent and collaborative approaches to managing change on the Gulf Coast. Whether resisting, accepting or directing, the most important thing is that these decisions are made with clear goals, shared understanding and future generations in mind.
Meet the author
Nina Davis
Habitat Resilience Specialist
Nina Davis serves as a habitat resilience specialist/extension associate with the Mississippi State University (MSU) Program for Local Adaptation to Changing Environments (PLACE) based at the MSU... Read more
Phone: 228-546-1004
Email: [email protected]