Incorporating Ecosystem Services into Coastal and...

ECOSYSTEM SERVICES RESEARCH PROGRAM

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Incorporating Ecosystem Services into Coastal and Watershed Management

William FisherGulf Ecology Division

www.epa.gov/ecologyECOSYSTEM SERVICES RESEARCH PROGRAMB U I L D I N G A S C I E N T I F I C F O U N D A T I O N F O R S O U N D E N V I R O N M E N T A L D E C I S I O N S

Susan YeeU.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Gulf Ecology DivisionPatricia Bradley

Atlantic Ecology Division

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ESRP Coral Reef ProjectObjective: Provide information and tools that support

evaluation of trade-offs among reef ecosystem services under alternative decisions

U.S. Virgin Islands Puerto Rico

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Virgin IslandsCase Study

Can expanded Clean Water Act water quality standards (biological criteria) protect fisheries, tourism/recreation and shoreline protection values of USVI coral reefs?

U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Planning& Natural ResourcesEPA Region 2

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Biocriteria - thresholds established to protect the biological condition of aquatic life inhabiting waters of a given designated use. [Clean Water Act]

DesignatedUsesBiocriteriaDecisions

Bradley et al. EPA Report 2010

Stressors

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Biocriteria - thresholds established to protect the biological condition of aquatic life inhabiting waters of a given designated use. [Clean Water Act]

DesignatedUsesBiocriteriaDecisions

Biological IntegrityProtect Public Health

Fishable WaterSwimmable WaterRecreational Use

Stressors

Bradley et al. EPA Report 2010

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Biocriteria - thresholds established to protect the biological condition of aquatic life inhabiting waters of a given designated use. [Clean Water Act]

DesignatedUsesBiocriteriaStressorsDecisions

EcosystemServices

ReefAttributesStressorsDecisions

Shoreline protectionFishing

Tourism/ Recreation

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Biocriteria - thresholds established to protect the biological condition of aquatic life inhabiting waters of a given designated use. [Clean Water Act]

DesignatedUsesBiocriteriaDecisions

EcosystemServices

ReefAttributesStressorsDecisions

Shoreline protectionFishing

Tourism/ Recreation

Coral conditionFish biomassWater clarity

Stressors

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Biocriteria - thresholds established to protect the biological condition of aquatic life inhabiting waters of a given designated use. [Clean Water Act]

DesignatedUsesBiocriteriaDecisions

EcosystemServices

ReefAttributesStressorsDecisions

Shoreline protectionFishing

Tourism/ Recreation

Coral conditionFish biomassWater clarity

Watershed pollutantsCoastal development

Stressors

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Biocriteria - thresholds established to protect the biological condition of aquatic life inhabiting waters of a given designated use. [Clean Water Act]

DesignatedUsesBiocriteriaDecisions

EcosystemServices

ReefAttributesStressorsDecisions

Shoreline protectionFishing

Tourism/ Recreation

Coral conditionFish biomassWater clarity

Watershed pollutantsCoastal development

Landuse decisionsProtected areas

Stressors

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Puerto RicoCase Study

Will implementation of the Guánica Bay Watershed Management Plan improve fisheries, tourism/recreation, and shoreline protection value of coral reefs in Southwestern Puerto Rico?

Puerto Rico Department of Natural & Environmental ResourcesEPA Region 2

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Nonpoint Pollutant Discharge

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• Shade-grown coffee• Cover crops• Hydroseeding• Dredge reservoirs• Remove relic irrigation• Lagoon restoration

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Research Approach

EcosystemServices

ReefAttributesStressorsDecisions

Cost/BenefitComparisons

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EcosystemServices

ReefAttributesStressorsDecisions

Cost/BenefitComparisons

1. Understand priorities of decision-makers

Research Approach

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EcosystemServices

ReefAttributesStressorsDecisions

Cost/BenefitComparisons

1. Understand priorities of decision-makers

2. Link stressors to reef attributes

Research Approach

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EcosystemServices

ReefAttributesStressorsDecisions

Cost/BenefitComparisons

1. Understand priorities of decision-makers

2. Link stressors to reef attributes

3. Connect reef attributes to ES

Research Approach

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EcosystemServices

ReefAttributesStressorsDecisions

Cost/BenefitComparisons

1. Understand priorities of decision-makers

2. Link stressors to reef attributes

3. Connect reef attributes to ES

4. Develop models to evaluate alternative scenarios

Research Approach

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EcosystemServices

ReefAttributesStressorsDecisions

Cost/BenefitComparisons

1. Understand priorities of decision-makers

2. Link stressors to reef attributes

3. Connect reef attributes to ES

4. Develop models to evaluate alternative scenarios

Research Approach

5. Build decision-support tools

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DPSIR Framework

Yee et al. in press

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1. Understanding Decisions

• Identify priority issues• Elaborate potential

management options

2007: US Virgin Islands2009: Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary2010: Puerto Rico

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Demonstrate a tool and let them apply it• DPSIR Framework

• Encourages whole-systems thinking• Consider purpose/consequences of proposed actions

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Demonstrate a tool and let them apply it• Social Network Analysis

• Understand the critical players & relationships

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Demonstrate a tool and let them apply it• Decision Analysis

• Understand the decision-making process• Identify alternative management strategies

Rehr et al. In review

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Benefits of the process• Participants

• Opportunity to learn about decision support tools

• Organizers• A task to get the conversation going• Elicit information on their priorities/concerns

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After the workshop… • Expand objectives of original plan to reflect workshop

Carriger et al. in prep.

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After the workshop… • Expand objectives of original plan to reflect workshop

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After the workshop… • Expand objectives of original plan to reflect workshop

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• Organize information in an objectives hierarchy• What are the fundamental objectives & how to measure?

After the workshop…

Objectives

Sub-objectives

Metrics

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• Organize decision options in Means-Ends Network• Are the options adequate or are new options needed?

After the workshop… O

bjec

tives

Mea

ns

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2. Link Stressors to Reef Attributes

• Dose-response relationships

• Human-disturbance gradients

• Linking landscape activity to coral condition

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Dose-response Relationships

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Human-disturbance Gradient

1 km from cruise ship lanes

0.1 km from cruise ship lanes

St. Thomas, USVI

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Linking Landscape Activity to ReefsLandscape Development Intensity Index

Oliver et al. in review

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Link between human activity & reef condition but….

What are the consequences on provisioning of ecosystem services?

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3. Connecting Reef Attributes to Ecosystem Services

Literature Review• What services have been

identified?• How were services measured?• How can reef attributes be

translated into services?• What indicators estimate

delivery of services?

Principe et al. EPA Report 2010

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Tourism & Recreation Fishing

NaturalProductsShoreline Protection

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Tourism & Recreation Fishing

NaturalProductsShoreline Protection

EcosystemIntegrity

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Tourism & Recreation

• Survey and valuation methodology

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Fishing

• Essential fish habitat• Fisheries models

McClanahan 1994

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Shoreline Protection

• Hydrodynamic models• Anecdotal evidence

Modified from Monismith 2007

Modified from Kunkel et al. 2006

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Natural Products• Reviews of existing products derived from reefs

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4. Developing models

Bayesian Network

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Dynamic models

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4. Developing models

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Poster #19Modeling Ecosystem Services with Bayesian Networks

Bayesian Network

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Modeling Sustainable Deliveryof Reef Ecosystem Services

• Many good existing models• Lack general applicability to range

of management scenarios• Lack portability/scalability• Lack connection to ecosystem

services

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CORSETJ. Melbourne-Thomas

C. JohnsonUniversity of Tasmania

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CORSETJ. Melbourne-Thomas

C. JohnsonUniversity of Tasmania

Additionalreef attributes

Connect land-basedstressors to offshore water quality

Link to ecosystemservices

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5. Decision Support Tools

Bayesian Network

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Dynamic models

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Reef ES & Decision Support Database

• Management options• Legislation• Clients and partners• Scientific literature

• Jurisdiction- or topic-specific

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• Web-based Tutorial

• Generic DPSIR words list

• Generic DPSIR conceptual models

Tutorial on Systems Thinking using DPSIR

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• Eliciting information from clients• Identifying key stressors & services• Synthesizing objectives & means to achieve them• Building whole-systems models• Organizing the state of knowledge• Identifying knowledge and research gaps• Systems-thinking linking human system to ecosystem

DPSIR Framework

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Coral Project TeamEPA Gulf Ecology DivisionSusan YeeAshley WeatherallDeborah VivianSherry VickeryDebbie SantavyBob QuarlesLeah OliverCheryl McGillJohn LehrterEric JohnsonBecky HemmerPeggy HarrisJack FournieBill FisherLee CourtneyJohn CarrigerJed CampbellMace Barron

Other EPAPat BradleyPeter PrincipeDan CampbellPaula Allen

Peter ShubaCarolyn FonyoRoel Boumans

Ann VegaMarilyn Tenbrink

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Our Partners• EPA • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)• USDA NRCS• USGS Caribbean Field Station• Caribbean Coral Reef Institute (CCRI), University of Puerto Rico• National Coral Reef Institute (NCRI), Nova Southeastern• The Nature Conservancy (TNC) • Center for Watershed Protection (CWP)• Carnegie-Mellon University• University of Miami, Rosentiel School of Marine Sciences (RSMAS) • University of the Virgin Islands • National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF)• USVI Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR)• Puerto Rico Departamento de Recursos y Ambientales (DNRA) • Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)

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Demonstrate a tool and let them apply it• Decision Analysis

• Understand the decision-making process• Identify alternative management strategies

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Drivers

Pressures

State

Impact

Response

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• Remain engaged• Web-group for posting info• Newsletter of updates• Webinars• Vetting Objectives Hierarchy &

Means-Ends Network• Follow-up workshop

After the workshop…