Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies Gulf of Mexico Ecosystem Services Workshop David W. Yoskowitz, Cristina Carollo, and Carlota Santos Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies Texas A&M University Corpus Christi & Becky Allee Gulf Coast Services Center NOAA ACES Conference D. Yoskowitz Phoenix, AZ December 8 Harte Research Institute 1
With ecosystem services, what are we working towards? Decisions are incomplete and inefficient if they do not include all benefits and costs... The question is: How do we begin to operationalize the inclusion of ecosystem services into decision making for the Gulf of Mexico? D. Yoskowitz Harte Research Institute 2
Practice Planning and Policy In the GoMx, what framework exists to move ecosystem services from practice to planning and policy? D. Yoskowitz Harte Research Institute 3
Action Plan II of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance addresses four major challenges: 1. Sustaining Gulf Economy 2. Improving Ecosystem Health 3. Mitigating the Impacts of and Adapting to Climate Change 4. Mitigating Harmful Effects to Coastal Water Quality There are eleven action steps relating to socio-economics, ecosystem services and benefit-cost assessment in Plan II. D. Yoskowitz Harte Research Institute 4
Gulf of Mexico Ecosystem Services Collaboratory The first meeting of the Gulf of Mexico Ecosystem Services Collaboratory took place in January, 2010. For the moment it is acting like a SAB (science advisory board) Three recommendations: Yucatan, Mexico Laguna Madre Mississippi River Delta Florida Keys
1. Identify a specific policy case study that would have relevance across the Gulf region Wetland loss in coastal Louisiana- Mississippi. Yucatan, Mexico Laguna Madre Mississippi River Delta Florida Keys
2. Convene a workshop to gain consensus on approaches, definition and identification of ES, and the steps to be taken toward initiation of the test case. This workshop suggestion was written into the CEQ s Roadmap for Restoring Resiliency and Sustainability. 3. Identify the tools and develop the products necessary for application of ES values to the policy test case. Yucatan, Mexico Laguna Madre
Ecosystem Services Workshop Bay St. Louis, MS Held over 3 days, June 16-18, 2010. Thirty invited participants cutting across federal and state agencies, academia, NGOs, and private sector. Multidisciplinary. First workshop of its type for the Gulf. Supported by: D. Yoskowitz Harte Research Institute 8
We had very specific goals and outcomes: 1. Define ecosystem services for the Gulf. 2. Refine the list of services appropriate to the Gulf. 3. Assign and prioritize services to the appropriate CMECS classes (Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard). 4. Restoration project parameters. D. Yoskowitz Harte Research Institute 9
Ecosystem Services Definition Why another definition of ES? There was a desire to have a Gulf definition that was developed by stakeholders from the region. Strawman Ecosystem services in the Gulf of Mexico are the direct or indirect contributions that ecosystems make to the well-being of human populations. These include provisioning services such as food and water; regulating services such as flood and disease control; cultural services such as spiritual, recreational, and cultural benefits; and supporting services, such as nutrient cycling, that maintain the conditions for life on Earth (Combination of EPA Science Advisory Board, 2009 and Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2003 definitions). The Gulf of Mexico Alliance defines ecosystem services as the contributions from Gulf of Mexico marine and coastal ecosystems that support, sustain, and enrich human life. D. Yoskowitz Harte Research Institute 10
Ecosystem services quantification provides standard metrics for expressing benefits of of the services provided by by the ecosystem. The metrics might be be moneta Valuation Definition What is value? was the repeated question. Since the word valuation can have a wide range of meanings (monetary or non-monetary, quantitative and qualitative), the group decided to use the word quantification instead of valuation. A variety of benefits provided by the environment are hard to put a monetary value on. Don t worry about the currency as much as the ability to transform it into a common unit for comparison purposes. Ecosystem services quantification provides standard metrics for expressing benefits of the services provided by the ecosystem. The metrics might be monetary or non-monetary. D. Yoskowitz Harte Research Institute 11
Ecosystem Services Identified The second expected outcome of the workshop was the review and refinement of each ES for the Gulf. Gulf of Mexico ES 1. Nutrient Balance 11. Medicinal Resources 2. Hydrological Balance 12. Ornamental Resources 3. Climate Balance 13. Science and Education 4. Pollutant Attenuation 14. Biological Interactions 5. Gas Balance 15. Soil and Sediment Balance 6. Water Quality 16. Spiritual and Historic 7. Water Quantity 17. Aesthetics and Existence 8. Air Supply 18. Recreational Opportunities 9. Food 19. Hazard Moderation 10. Raw Materials The group dropped the word regulation and used balance instead. It was thought that the word balance better represented the services the ecosystem provides in maintaining healthy levels of nutrients, soil, and sediment. D. Yoskowitz Harte Research Institute 12
Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) CMECS, developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Nature Serve. Intended to provide a national standard for consistent characterizations of coastal and marine ecological types. Gulf of Mexico CMECS 1. Oyster Reefs 9. Swamp/Bottomland Hardwoods 2. Coral Reefs 10. Beaches/Dunes 3. Fresh Submerged Aquatic 12. Forested Coastal Ridge Vegetation (SAV) 4. Non-fresh Submerged Aquatic 13. Intertidal-sand/mud Vegetation (SAV) 5. Saline Marsh 14. Subtidal-sand/mud 6. Brackish Marsh 15. Open Water 7. Freshwater Marsh 16. Offshore-shoals and banks 8. Macroalgae 17. Mangroves D. Yoskowitz Harte Research Institute 13
Ecosystem Services 1. Nutrient Balance 11. Medicinal Resources 2. Hydrological Balance 12. Ornamental Resources 3. Climate Balance 13. Science and Education 4. Pollutant Attenuation 14. Biological Interactions 5. Gas Balance 15. Soil and Sediment Balance 6. Water Quality 16. Spiritual and Historic 7. Water Quantity 17. Aesthetics and Existence 8. Air Supply 18. Recreational Opportunities 9. Food 19. Hazard Moderation 10. Raw Materials CMECS 1. Oyster Reefs 9. Swamp/Bottomland Hardwoods 2. Coral Reefs 10. Beaches/Dunes 3. Fresh Submerged Aquatic 12. Forested Coastal Ridge Vegetation (SAV) 4. Non-fresh Submerged Aquatic 13. Intertidal-sand/mud Vegetation (SAV) 5. Saline Marsh 14. Subtidal-sand/mud 6. Brackish Marsh 15. Open Water 7. Freshwater Marsh 16. Offshore-shoals and banks 8. Macroalgae 17. Mangroves D. Yoskowitz Harte Research Institute 14
Ecosystem Services by CMECS Dunes/Beaches 1.Hazard Moderation 2.Aesthetic and Existence 3.Soil and Sediment Balance 4.Recreational Opportunities 5.Science and Education 6.Biological Interactions 7.Water Quality Oyster Reef 1. Food 2. Water Quality 3. Biological Interactions 4. Hazard Moderation 5. Aesthetics and Existence 6. Nutrient Balance 7. Raw Materials 8. Spiritual and Historic 9. Science and Education 10. Soil and Sediment Balance 11. Recreation 12. Ornamental Resource This was done for all 17 CMECS classes. D. Yoskowitz Harte Research Institute 15
A demonstration project could have the following characteristics: Restoration Project Characteristics The group agreed that a demonstration project that accounted for ecosystem services could have the following characteristics: Be transferable to a larger spatial scale and be policy/regionally relevant; Be at a planning stage; Allow for a pre/post evaluation; Have a short-term or short-time frame; Be small enough to allow for fast results; Allow for beneficial use of dredge material; Have a sea level rise component; Potentially be located in Louisiana and/or Mississippi (per Council on Environmental Quality LA/MS Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration working group s Roadmap interest) but not limited to that region. D. Yoskowitz Harte Research Institute 16
What was Achieved? *For the first time a group was brought together to look at ecosystem services for the Gulf of Mexico. *Biologists, economists, ecologists, engineers, geologists, etc. had to talk with each other on this issue. We had to learn how to communicate. *Produced solid definitions and services by CMECS for groups around the Gulf to utilize. The Gulf of Mexico Alliance is using the output of the workshop to develop education and outreach materials. The output is being used to develop RFPs for ecosystem services work in the region. D. Yoskowitz Harte Research Institute 17
Going Forward This workshop was conceived and planned before the Gulf oil spill. Yet, the results of the workshop will be very informative to a number of parties: NRDA process Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force Reuters National Research Council s Committee on the Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Mississippi Canyon-252 Oil Spill on Ecosystem Services in the Gulf of Mexico BP D. Yoskowitz Harte Research Institute 18
Proceedings of Gulf of Mexico Ecosystem Services Workshop: http://www.harteresearchinstitute.org/images/research/ socioeconomics/eservicesproceedings.pdf D. Yoskowitz Harte Research Institute 19