The Morro Bay National Estuary Program’s work is guided by our Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (Management Plan), which identifies problems (called priority issues) that threaten the ecological and economic resources of the estuary and watershed and defines action plans to effectively reduce those problems. The Estuary Program updates this Management Plan in response to changing conditions in and around the estuary as well as global phenomena like sea level rise. This management plan was updated in 2012 and the Estuary Program is currently finishing work on a new version to be released this year.
In addition to the Management Plan, the Estuary Program uses the latest research and time-tested science to plan for specific projects such as future conservation efforts and responses localized effects of climate change.