The structure of wetland restoration networks in the California Bay-Delta

Policymakers promote wetland restoration as a nature-based solution to challenges such as biodiversity loss and climate change adaptation. Wetland restoration requires multiple actors to collaborate on a range of implementation tasks. This paper analyzes the structure of wetland restoration networks in the California Bay-Delta based on a two-mode network of organizations participating in wetland restoration projects. A Temporal Exponential Random Graph Model (TERGM) identifies organization and project attributes associated with participation in projects over time. The analysis finds that organizations with more implementation experience and cross-region involvement are more likely to participate in projects. However, proxy benefit measures implied by project location have no significant effects on tie formation in the model. This paper extends network governance theory and social network methods to on-the-ground environmental infrastructure. As climate adaptation increasingly shifts from planning and policy toward implementation of nature-based solutions like wetland restoration, governance research must examine how socio-political and organizational processes influence project implementation.