The international scope of the Tijuana River watershed, the diversity of habitats, and the range of human and physical problems facing the Reserve make the area rich for study in both the biological and social sciences.
The Reserve’s research and monitoring programs are guided by national plans that identify goals, priorities, and implementation strategies for these programs, as well as research needs specific to the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve (TRNERR). When combined with the education and outreach programs, the research at the Reserve helps ensure the long-term availability of scientific information with system-wide consistency. This allows any research information gathered to be useful for the protection and management of other estuaries.
An overarching focus of the research and monitoring program at TRNERR is to conduct and facilitate adaptive management by coupling science with on-the-ground stewardship activities. The reserve has long been a site for the development of adaptive approaches to the restoration of tidal salt marsh, and the long-term vision of the Reserve’s restoration program is to explicitly couple research with marsh creation activities. In addition, the Research program is actively working on the ecology and management of exotic species within estuarine settings.
For specific information on research programs at the Reserve, visit the links below:
System-Wide Monitoring Program
Tijuana Estuary Tidal Restoration Program (TETRP)
Invasive Estuarine Plants in the Bight of the Californias
Tijuana Estuary – Current Weather
NERRS Graduate Research Fellowship
