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Ecosystem Services Research Program: LTG 4: Ecosystem specific studies: coral reefs
Impact/Purpose:
ECO myp
Description:
Our short-term objective is that managers and decision-makers recognize that coral reefs provide ecosystem services (ES) that can be valued and included in decision processes. The long-term objective is that coral reef ES are routinely valued and considered in watershed and coastal zone decisions. The short-term goal will be met through workshops with clients in Florida, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands, our target jurisdictions. The workshops are designed to learn client visions for sustainable reefs, obstacles to this vision, decision processes and information they use, and vehicles they prefer for information delivery (decision support tools). Research in the project will provide monetary and non-monetary values for coral reef ES and an organizational scheme to characterize the linkages between human activities and adverse effects on sustainable delivery of coral reef ES. We will link research findings to the decision support tools developed from client workshops. This information will directly benefit resource managers by squarely placing coral reef benefits and ES on the decision-making table. Moreover, regulatory protection through the Clean Water Act will be enhanced because coral reef values can be incorporated into designated uses for coastal waterbodies and protected through directed biocriteria.