Table 1.

Barriers to restoration projects offered by Rhode Island natural resource managers paired with single-, double-, and triple-loop strategies for overcoming and learning opportunities afforded by those barriers.

	STRATEGIES AND LEARNING APPROACHES
BARRIERS	Single-loop: Incremental Improvements	Double Loop: Reframing	Triple Loop: Transforming
ECOSYSTEMS BEYOND REPAIR
Too Far Gone	Begin with a focus on small, short term projects to build community traction.	Urban ecosystems have great potential for renewal. Abandon target of restoration as “pristine” systems. Embrace “novel ecosystem” concept.	Train managers and funders in multiple benefits of urban ecosystems. Peer to peer learning between managers.
No Nature in the City	Use ambassador or demonstration sites.	Nature is everywhere–humans are part of nature.	Broadly communicate new understanding of urban ecology. Make ecosystems visible.
RESISTANCE TO CHANGE
Fear of Change	Use visualizations.	These “fears” may be legitimate concerns. Aquatic ecosystems are dynamic.	Mangers trained to use an active listening approach to understand the true nature of resistance to change. Trusted local describe historic conditions/change.
LACK OF POLITICAL WILL
Within the Political System	Regulate that a given percentage of restoration funds goes to urban sites.	Need to consider the ethics of where restoration is sited.	Train managers and funders in multiple benefits of urban ecosystems. Incorporate beneficiary characteristics in the site selection process.
Within the Community	Managers attend local meetings. Teach residents how to attend a public meeting.	Low income and transient communities deserve restoration. Local concerns are valuable insights.	Have the community develop restoration plan. Work with local visionary leaders.
FUNDING
Capacity	Train small organization staff in writing grants or technical contracts.	Local capacity for restoration is not evenly distributed, and it should be.	Take onus to obtain restoration funding off local volunteers. Invest in regional scale- brokers. Establish circulating funds for low income communities.
Timing	Allow for more flexibility in the timeframe for spending grant money.	Collaboration and local engagement is more important than short term deadlines.	Invest in long term collaboration and public engagement efforts.
Inequity in Distribution	Earmark funds for urban restoration.	Need to consider the ethics of how restoration funds are distributed.	Communicate the value of urban ecosystems to voting public and management. Have transparency in the site selection process. Move away from “acres restored” as measure of success.