San Francisco's efforts to restore parts of Mountain View in the bay are coming to an end and are already proving to be successful.
As previously reported, San Francisco started the South Bay South Pond Restoration Project in 2009. Now, according to Phys.org, the restoration is nearing completion after years of planning, funding, and on-the-ground labor.
The $20 million project is part of a long-term effort to restore more than 15,000 acres of former salt ponds around the South Bay, Peninsula, and East Bay into thriving habitat for wildlife, including ducks, shorebirds, fish, leopard sharks, bat rays, and harbor seals.
"Progress has been excellent," David Lewis, executive director of Save the Bay, said. "After years of reducing and paving over tidal marsh in the bay, we've brought back a huge amount in the past quarter century. It's making the bay healthier and protecting the shoreline better. And there are still big opportunities to do more."
Restoration projects like this matter because they help repair ecosystems that humans depend on, even if we don't always realize it.
Healthier habitats can reduce flooding, improve air and water quality, and create cooler, greener neighborhoods, which all directly benefit nearby communities.
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Reconnecting wildlife corridors also reduces dangerous animal-human interactions, such as vehicle collisions, while helping species adapt to a rapidly warming climate. As temperatures rise and habitats shift, connected landscapes give animals a fighting chance to survive.
Across the globe, similar efforts have shown that investing in nature can deliver long-term benefits for both people and the planet. These projects include large dam removal projects and state-funded habitat restoration programs.
For residents, that means more accessible green spaces, healthier surroundings, and the reassurance that long-term environmental investments can actually work.
"It's doing what we can to replicate what we destroyed over the last century," Lewis said. "It's not returning the area to exactly what it was. But these projects are making the bay healthier for wildlife, and are also protecting communities from rising tides."
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