Conservation Science at The Nature Conservancy

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Rob Brumbaugh
© 2004 Lisa Drake

Rob Brumbaugh, Ph.D.
Restoration Program Director, Global Marine Initiative

Contact Information
The Nature Conservancy Global Marine Team
P.O. Box 420237
Summerland Key, FL 33042
305-745-8402 (ext. 109)
rbrumbaugh@tnc.org
www.nature.org/marine

Brief Biography
Dr. Rob Brumbaugh is the Restoration Program Director for The Nature Conservancy’s Global Marine Team. Through the Marine Team, he works to facilitate the restoration and long-term conservation of marine and estuarine ecosystems in regions that the Conservancy has identified as priorities for marine conservation.

The Restoration Program provides technical guidance to The Conservancy’s state, regional and country programs to facilitate the design and implementation of projects ranging from riparian buffers and tidal wetlands to submerged sea grass meadows. The Restoration Program also provides funding support for projects through a National Partnership between The Nature Conservancy and NOAA’s Community-based Restoration Program as well as through other federal agencies. A particular focus of the Restoration Program is conservation and restoration of native bivalve shellfish reefs and beds in temperate and subtropical bays; these are among the most imperiled marine ecosystems on earth based on the extent of loss and severity of ongoing threats. Restoring and protecting these important ecosystems requires an array of conservation strategies and actions be used directly within estuaries and even more broadly within coastal watersheds. In turn, such actions help to protect a broader array of the Conservancy’s highest priority conservation targets.

Rob has 15 years experience working in private consulting and non-governmental organizations to advance marine policy and implementation of conservation and restoration activities at various scales, with a diversity of partners including local, state and federal agencies. He holds a doctorate in biological oceanography with an emphasis on population biology and recruitment dynamics of fish and invertebrate populations.

Peer-reviewed and Technical Publications
Brumbaugh, R.D. and C. Toropova. 2008. Economic valuation of ecosystem services: A
new impetus for shellfish restoration? Basins and Coasts News 2(2): 8-15.
USAID/IMCAFS

Coen, L.D., R.D. Brumbaugh, D. Bushek, R. Grizzle, M.W. Luckenbach, M.H. Posey, S.P. Powers and S.G. Tolley. 2007. Ecosystem services related to oyster restoration. Marine Ecology Progress Series 341: 303-307.

Brumbaugh, R.D., Beck, M.W., L.D. Coen, L. Craig and P. Hicks. 2006. Practitioners’
Guide to Design and Monitoring of Shellfish Restoration Projects: An Ecosystem Services Approach. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA. 28 pp.

Allen, S.K., D. Schulte, and R. Brumbaugh. 2003. Terraforming Chesapeake Bay.
Virginia Marine Resource Bulletin 35:2-8. Virginia Sea Grant College Program,
Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester, VA.

Brumbaugh, R.D., L. Sorabella, C. Garcia, W. Goldsborough and J. Wesson. 2000.
Making a case for community-based oyster restoration: An example from Hampton Roads, Virginia, U.S.A. J. Shellfish Research 19: 467-472.

Brumbaugh, R.D., L.A. Sorabella, W.J. Goldsborough, and C. Johnson. 2000. Small-
scale aquaculture as a tool for oyster restoration in Chesapeake Bay. Mar. Tech.
Soc. Journal 34: 79-86.

Brumbaugh, R.D. 2000. An analysis of limestone marl as a settlement substrate for oysters in Chesapeake Bay. Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Inc. Technical Report submitted to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, Newport News, VA. 12 pp.

Allen, S.K. Jr., R.D. Brumbaugh, and J.C. Fox. 2000. A consensus report from the 2000
Chesapeake Bay Delegation to review French aquaculture: Oyster recovery strategy for the Chesapeake Bay – Proactive Recommendations. Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Gloucester Point, VA. 9pp.

Brumbaugh, R.D. 1999. Restoring a lost resource. Catalyst 11: 8 – 15. College of Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA.

Brumbaugh, R.D. and J.R. McConaugha. 1997. Shallow coastal lagoons as a recruitment habitat for blue crab postlarvae. Proceedings of the Second Marine and Estuarine Shallow Water Science and Management Conference, April 3-7, Atlantic City, N.J. EPA Technical Paper EPA/903/R/97009.

Brumbaugh, R.D. 1996. Recruitment of blue crab post-larvae to the back-barrier lagoons of Virginia’s eastern shore. Ph.D. Dissertation, Old Dominion University. Norfolk, VA. 188pp.

Brumbaugh, R.D. and J.R. McConaugha. 1995. Time to metamorphosis of blue crab Callinectes sapidus megalopae: effects of benthic macroalgae. Marine Ecology Progress Series 129: 113-118.