Coastal Resources Division Director, Spud Woodward, has announced that the recently completed 2016 Coastal Georgia Ecosystem Report Card is now available on line at: CoastalGaDNR.org/ReportCard. The report card assessment was conducted through a partnership of the Coastal Resources Division, Environmental Protection Division and Wildlife Resources Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Initiated with the 2014 version, the purpose of the report card is to provide the public with current information about the overall health of the coastal Georgia ecosystem. Like the preceding two report cards, the score for 2016 is a B+ based on data collected throughout the past year from coast-wide DNR surveys and inventories.

“Achieving a B+ for the third year in a row is a positive reflection of the ongoing efforts of citizens, local governments, conservation organizations and government resource managers. The individual scores for some indices have declined while the scores for others have improved. However, the overall health of the ecosystem remains good. This speaks to our success in balancing development and human use with natural resource conservation and protection along the Georgia coast,” commented Woodward. 

Ecological report cards are considered a public friendly way to provide a timely and geographically detailed assessment of ecosystems or rivers. One key aspect of these report cards is that they synthesize diverse data sources and types into information understandable by a broad audience. The report card scores are based on a twenty-point scale (0-20% = F, 20-40% = D, etc.). This is the scale accepted for ecosystem health report cards world-wide as it is able to provide a clearer picture of health.

“We hope the public finds the Coastal Georgia Ecosystem Report Card a useful source of information and pays particular attention to the back cover which list the things they can do to keep coastal Georgia a great place to live, work, and play,” said Woodward.

Coastal Resources Division/Georgia Department of Natural Resources
The Coastal Resources Division of Georgia Department of Natural Resources is the state agency entrusted to manage Georgia’s coastal marshes, beaches, waters and fisheries for the benefit of present and future generations. The mission of the Department of Natural Resources is to sustain, enhance, protect and conserve Georgia’s natural, historic and cultural resources for present and future generations while recognizing the importance of promoting the development of commerce and industry that utilize sound environmental practices.