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Watershed Implications of Sediment and Nutrient Pollution in the Guánica Bay Watershed
Citation:
Yee, S., J. Carriger, A. Smith, J. Orlando, P. Bradley, AND W. Fisher. Watershed Implications of Sediment and Nutrient Pollution in the Guánica Bay Watershed. Presented at EPA Citizen Science Workshop, San Juan, PUERTO RICO, September 11 - 12, 2014.
Impact/Purpose:
We apply models and maps of ecosystem services production to characterize potential benefits of watershed management to the local community in Guanica Bay watershed, Puerto Rico.
Description:
The U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF), a collaboration of federal, commonwealth, and non-government agencies, recently initiated a program to limit sediment runoff to the coral reefs outside Guánica Bay, Puerto Rico. Municipal and agricultural growth in the Guánica Bay watershed has provided social and economic value but has led to declines in forest and wetland cover, and increased sediment and nutrient runoff into the bay, resulting in declining quality in coral reefs. A management plan was developed and management actions have been proposed to reduce sediment runoff and curtail adverse effects in the coastal zone. Recent workshops with stakeholders indicated there is still a great deal of uncertainty on the degree to which proposed actions in the watershed could benefit the local community. We are using principles of Structured Decision-Making (SDM) to characterize stakeholder values in the watershed and link decision options to achieving stakeholder goals. We are working with experts to develop a biological condition gradient (BCG) to characterize landuse effects on coral reef condition. A key to bridging ecological condition with socio-economic concerns is the concept of ecosystem goods and services. We apply a suite of models to translate ecological condition into metrics reflecting stakeholder benefits derived from coral reefs, including shoreline protection, recreational opportunities, and fishing, as well as potential unintended effects in the watershed, including agriculture, water supply, and human health. Policies to protect coastal resources will be more effective when they account for the social and economic concerns of stakeholders in the watershed, and are responsive to potential tradeoffs between land and sea.