The Bay of Fundy sits between the two provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Canada, and is characterized by its surging tides, which carry nutrient rich sediment up into the basins and connected rivers, supporting unique ecosystems and biodiversity. Communities, originally attracted by opportunities for agricultural development, settled around the Bay of Fundy, reclaiming flooded areas by constructing structural defenses. Many of these communities are in isolated areas and have vulnerable aging populations and infrastructure. Communities and the infrastructure they depend on are increasingly at risk from sea level rise, storm surges, and changing precipitation patterns, due in part to the Bay of Fundy’s naturally increasing sea levels and tidal range and exacerbated by human activities and anthropogenic climate change.

Risks are compounded by the fact that infrastructure, including dikes and causeways, have become outdated, expensive to maintain, and in some cases, are no longer in compliance with environmental regulations. Barrier infrastructure requires re-examination considering modern values and technology that allow, or require, more environmentally sound approaches for development. Barrier removal is often locally contested, yet few studies focus on understanding local people’s experiences in dammed river landscapes. This research addresses this gap using a mixed-methods comparative social impact assessment to explore the evolution of two rural dammed tidal river landscapes and local people’s responses to landscape changes over time.

Our study sites are the Petitcodiac River, where a causeway was partially removed and natural tidal flow was re-established, and the Avon River, where causeway modifications are under consideration. The objectives of this research were to: 1) look backward to assess how residents’ connections to a restricted tidal river and estuary developed over time with landscape change and infrastructure development; 2) determine how present uses, experiences, and perceptions of landscape change influence support for restoring tidal connectivity; and, 3) look forward by assessing cognitive and affective social impacts from Petitcodiac River causeway modifications to provide insights about the similar case evolving in the Avon River context.

There are three major findings from this work: 1) landscape values in times of transition require an understanding of the past, expectations for the future and present uses and preferences; 2) indicators of restoration support are measurable and strongest are landscape perceptions; and 3) comparative social impact assessment is an effective way to understand experienced social impacts and social acceptance over time during management changes. We can learn from the Avon and Petitcodiac cases to avoid inequitable patterns and make progress towards improving river restoration outcomes with benefits for people and the environment.