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Neighborhood scale quantification of ecosystem goods and services
Citation:
Russell, M., A. Teague, F. Alvarez, D. Dantin, M. Osland, J. Harvey, J. Nestlerode, Johne Rogers, L. Jackson, D. Pilant, F. Genthner, M. Lewis, A. Spivak, M. Harwell, AND A. Neale. Neighborhood scale quantification of ecosystem goods and services. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-13/295, 2013.
Impact/Purpose:
Here, we present mapped inventories of ecosystem goods and services production at a neighborhood scale within the Tampa Bay, FL region. Comparisons of the inventory between two alternative neighborhood designs are presented as an example of how one might apply EGS concepts at this scale.
Description:
Ecosystem goods and services are those ecological structures and functions that humans can directly relate to their state of well-being. Ecosystem goods and services include, but are not limited to, a sufficient fresh water supply, fertile lands to produce agricultural products, shading, air and water of sufficient quality for designated uses, flood water retention, and places to recreate. The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Office of Research and Development’s Tampa Bay Ecosystem Services Demonstration Project (TBESDP) modeling efforts organized existing literature values for biophysical attributes and processes related to EGS. The goal was to develop a database for informing mapped-based EGS assessments for current and future land cover/use scenarios at multiple scales. This report serves as a demonstration of applying an EGS assessment approach at the large neighborhood scale (~1,000 acres of residential parcels plus common areas).