Tampa Bay Recovery Strategy

Transcription

1 Tampa Bay Recovery Strategy N load reduced WQ improved Seagrass goal met

2 Clearer water and more seagrass: Good news for fish, wildlife and human users of the of the Bay So what s the big deal for the other ~50% of people living in our watershed? Economic valuation metrics

3 Ecosystem Services: Nitrogen removal (denitrification) value of meeting the seagrass goal 1618 ton N removed per year $26.4 M per year in replacement value based on WWTP costs Precluded the need for a new medium-sized wastewater treatment plan * 9 g N/m2/year Nitrogen removal of seagrass (Welsh et al. 2001) at $18 per kg N (Birch et al 2011) x 40,295 acres of seagrass Russell and Greening 2015

4 Blue carbon benefits of meeting the seagrass goal 21,500,000 kg C/year sequestered $1.6 M per year 15,000 automobiles carbon footprint per year (EPA cost calculator) Conservative estimate from literature values Determined by social cost of carbon ($20 per metric ton carbon dioxide) Russell and Greening 2014

5 TBRPC 2014 Economic Valuation Study

6 THE CASCO BAY ECONOMY Market analysis, following methods by the Center for The Blue Economy Curtis C. Bohlen Director, Casco Bay Estuary Partnership Ryan Wallace Director, Maine Center for Business and Economic Research

7 Why study the Casco Bay Economy? 2016 CCMP Highlight Casco Bay s Economic Importance Lack of data on and awareness of economic contributions of the Bay Specific goal to engage the region s business and creative communities

8 Standard Methods Center for the Blue Economy Market activity Zip-code level data Regional Economy All economic activity in the watershed region The Bay Economy Six ocean sectors Coastal communities only Housing on Portland s Waterfront

9 Casco Bay Region Within Maine

10 A Growing Bay Economy

11 Tourism Breakdown Summer tourism drives ferry ridership Imagine nifty graphic here.

12 An Economic Checkup for the Bay Future part of State of the Bay? Standard methods Comparable nationwide Complemented by local data Ferry ridership Cruise ship visits Lobster harvests Aquaculture leases.

13 NY- NJ Harbor Estuary Comprehensive Restoration Plan NY-NJ HARBOR & ESTUARY PROGRAM 13

14 Priority Action H-A-1 Increase Investments in Restoration NY-NJ HARBOR & ESTUARY PROGRAM 14

15 2016 USACE Environmental Advisory Recommendation The EAB encourages the Corps to move away from singlespecies and habitat area metrics and incorporate metrics of ecosystem goods and services into the ranking criteria. NY-NJ HARBOR & ESTUARY PROGRAM 15

16 How can more urban ecological restoration be approved and funded? What are the key institutional, financial, and analytical barriers to urban estuary restoration projects? Would matters be improved if projects were formulated, communicated, and evaluated around the concept of ecosystem services (i.e. connecting ecological outcomes more closely to beneficial social and economic outcomes)? If so, what specific projects, case studies, partnerships, and research present the greatest opportunity for application of the ecosystem services perspective to project formulation, funding, and approval? NY-NJ HARBOR & ESTUARY PROGRAM

17 Robert Pirani NY-NJ Harbor & Estuary Program NY-NJ HARBOR & ESTUARY PROGRAM

18 Economic Analyses for Coastal Managers Sheri Jewhurst EPA Region 2, Peconic Estuary Program Coordinator B.Sc. Environmental Science and Management, University of Rhode Island Master of Environmental Management and International Development, The Australian National University

19 Why this research?: Help coastal managers get better analyses, and help economists understand management questions

20 Which economic analysis meets my needs? Estuary programs need economic information for a variety of reasons. Different economic methods answer different questions. Economic Value Ecosystem Services Economic Contribution Environmental Benefits Economic Impacts

21 The Management Questions Six NEP Program Directors Two County-level watershed managers All completed economic analyses

22 How do we demonstrate that estuaries have tangible economic value to our region? What is the most cost-effective way to reduce nitrogen to reach a given endpoint (TMDL)? What are the benefits of improved water quality, compared to the costs of implementation? How do I aggregate a bunch of values to come up with a really big number? Economic Contribution Analysis OR Economic Impact Analysis Cost- Effectiveness Analysis Benefit-Cost Analysis Don t do this.

23 What Do I Want to Use This Data For? Steps to Scoping an Economic Analysis Consult Trained Economist Develop and Evaluate Scope of Work

24 THANK YOU!