State of Ecosystem Services Implementation

Transcription

1 State of Ecosystem Services Implementation K. Bruce Jones 1, Lisa LaCivita 1, Rudy M. Schuster 2 Natalie Sexton 2, and Holly Miller 2 1 US Geological Survey, Reston, VA 2 US Geological Survey, Fort Collins, CO ACES II Chandler, Arizona 6-10 December 2010

2 Presentation Highlights Motivation for Project/Objectives Methods and Approach Findings to Date

3 Project resulted from International Working Group meeting on Ecosystem Services in Lecce, Italy 2009

4 Primary Project Goals Determine the relative frequency of existing ecosystem services projects in different stages of implementation (next slide) Determine the frequency of projects with explicit goals to manage multiple ecosystem services Determine the range of motivations for ecosystem services projects Determine characteristics of projects that have made it to implementation and adaptive management phases, as well as those that have failed to go beyond planning Work with agencies and NGOs to develop a website/portal of case studies resulting from this and other studies

5 Continuum for Ecosystem Services Projects Conceptual Stage Initiated, under development with stakeholders Mature planning phase Actions Initiated Monitoring + Adaptive Management +

6 Adaptive Management Adjust and Revise Goals: - Improve and sustain ES - Reduce uncertainty - Prioritize needs Adapted from Williams et al. in review

7 Approaches Web-based survey of ecosystem services projects identified from workshops, conferences, and web-based searches Web-based search of key words using Google Scholar and other search engines Information from existing studies and databases (e.g., Searle and Cox 2009,Tallis et al. 2009, Williams et al. in review, EPA Inventory, etc)

8 On-line Survey of ES Practitioners & Scientists Survey of organizations involved with ecosystem services concepts (targeted) strategic planning & implementation of projects capture projects that aren t yet published in the open literature Online data collection using Key Survey software Currently waiting for OMB clearance Key concepts on survey: degree of project implementation motivations for conducting projects characteristics of projects that have successfully implemented ecosystem services concepts Quantitative data will allow for descriptive, univariate, & multivariate analysis

9 Web-based Search and Analysis Provisioning? Supporting? Regulating?

10 Key Terms for Search Ecosystem Service(s) Ecosystem Function(s) Environmental Benefit(s)

11 Google Scholar (search quirk) Anywhere in article Title or Abstract Ecosystem Services 40,500 1,750 Ecosystem Service 9, Ecosystem Function 34, Ecosystem Functions 18, Totals 103,320 2,813

12 Keywords Combined with Key Terms Valuation Valuation method(s) Case study (studies) Project(s) Process (processes) Adaptive management Function(s) Bundling Assessment(s) Monitoring

13 Web of Science & Google Scholar Search Results Examined over 700 known articles Downloaded 416 journal articles Technical reports = 43 Thesis & Dissertations = 5

14 42 Articles (Stages 3-6) from 29 Different Journals Environmental Management (4) Conservation Biology (4) Ecosystems (3) Biological Conservation (2) Ecological Economics Frontiers of Ecology and the Environment Landscape and Urban Planning The Year In Ecology And Conservation Biology 21 Other Journals with one each

15 416 Journal Articles Ecosystem Services Projects Conceptual Stage Mature planning phase Stakeholder Involvement Monitoring + Actions Initiated (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) Adaptive Management + Informs the Discussion Background Other

16 Single vs. Multiple Services Single Multiple Stage Stage Stage 6 4 1

17 Broad Categories 38 articles could be assigned a motivation (Stages 3-6) Legislation and/or agency, regional or government policy (14) Planning or management (9) Payments for ecosystem services (3) Other economic motivations (8) Other (4)

18 A Few Examples Stage 5 and 6

19 Pont Bren - Wales Ten farmers on approximately 1000 ha working together Multi-ES (Water, Habitat, Flood Abatement, Food, Carbon Storage) In-situ monitoring to evaluate effectiveness of in-field natural vegetation pattern options Testing market-based delivery of services (downstream communities pay for delivered services on upland area) Source: Watts et al Making ecosystem services valuation work.

20 Pont Bren - Wales - Over the past ten years the farmers have: Reduced sheep numbers Restored hedgerows Planted strips of trees to provide shelter for the sheep Coppiced trees and hedgerows to provide woodchip for bedding Fenced stream banks Project has helped promote cultural services and to maintain sustainable farming and grazing (and to recruit the next generation of farmers)

21 Offers state and local decision-makers thirteen regional decision support tools Includes bundled data Means of clear impact analysis Is a NATIONAL program

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23 Bayesian model developed and management implemented based on model results Monitoring implemented to test response Good prediction/minor adjustments made Howes et al. 2010

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25 A Few Conclusions Most projects in conceptual phase Lack a publication outlet focused on ES Several historical projects with ecosystem services implications don t use the term ecosystem services Many mature phase projects sold on single services/benefits and not multiple services Most stage 5 and 6 projects implemented with subsidies, regs, or non-market processes Lack of commitment to monitoring to evaluate management effectiveness, reduce uncertainty

26 Taking Advantage of Existing Spatial Variability to Understand Landscape Design and Ecosystem Services

27 National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD)

28 1 m Resolution NAIP data

29 Key Issue: Can existing monitoring programs be retrofitted to evaluate landscape designs for ecosystem services?

30 Questions?