3.1.5. Information Needs for Effective Restoration in a Changing Climate 
Managers also will need climate information to ensure restoration plans are adequately 
designed to re-establish ecosystem processes and be successful over the long-term. Information 
needs for restoration under a changing climate may include the following: 
• Research how best to restore ecosystem processes in invaded areas, such as sediment and 
nutrient transport and how restoration of these processes could be affected by climate 
change (e.g., how salinity, nutrient, and hydrological regime changes may impact the 
system’s nutrient transport capabilities). 
• Determine which species used in restoration projects will remain viable under future 
climatic conditions. 
• Conduct studies to understand the types of feedbacks that may exist between climate 
change factors and invasibility so that restoration plans can adequately account for 
climate change conditions. For example, coastal marsh restoration is dependent on water 
levels. With sea level rise, marsh restoration projects could be destroyed. 
3.1.6. Information Needs for Effective Information Management in a Changing Climate 
An information system that documents, evaluates, and monitors AIS impacts is 
imperative to prevention, early detection, and control efforts. An information management 
system also must include distribution and establishment data, and correlate and synthesize data 
from many sources. Various national information systems for tracking and organizing data on 
invasive species exist, including the Nonindigenous Species Database Network (NISbase) and 
the Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) information resource. NISbase is working to bring 
fragmented information on invasive species together into a single database that can be queried. 
The NAS system focuses on AIS and will work with states to make sure their specific needs are 
met. In moving forward with these systems, coordination states and other databases will be 
important to ensure that the information systems meet the needs of all users, especially as 
climatic conditions change. Climate-change data (e.g., water temperature, salinity levels, and 
other hydrological parameters) will need to be included to make systems more robust and 
accurate. Systems will need to be made dynamic and updatable to reflect changes in species 
distributions and establishment that may be caused by climate change (Lee et al., 2008). 
3.1.7. Information Needs for Effective Public Education in a Changing Climate 
Public education activities will need to include information on climate change and its 
likely effects on aquatic ecosystems and AIS. These activities could also be used to highlight 
how states are preparing to deal with these effects and what additional actions may be needed. 
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