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EPA's Ecosystem Services Tool Selection Portal
Citation:
Newcomer Johnson, T., Matt Harwell, L. Sharpe, K. Hines, AND C. Schumacher. EPA's Ecosystem Services Tool Selection Portal. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, 2023.
Impact/Purpose:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) researchers are developing resources and tools to help communities incorporate the benefits of local ecosystems (ecosystem services; ES) into their environmental decisions and planning. One such tool is the EPA Ecosystem Services Tool Selection Portal. The purpose of this Portal is to guide environmental decision makers, ES scientists, and others in selecting among a suite of ES Assessment tools, frameworks, and methodologies for application in a range of structured decision-making contexts. The aim of this Portal will be to guide users working on ecosystem services assessments through a decision tree approach to learn about useful EPA ES tools.
Description:
While an individual ES assessment tool is developed for a given set of purposes, having access to information about a suite of potential ES tools can be insightful. There is a range of approaches for connecting ES to a given environmental decision-making context/process. In order of complexity, they range from: • using best professional judgment; • finding examples from other efforts to apply; • testing individual tool applications; and • using a systematic, decision-tree approach to navigate among potentially relevant ES tools and frameworks relevant to that decision making process. The EPA Ecosystem Services Tool Selection Portal helps users select the most relevant tools, frameworks, and methodologies for their scenario. The Portal utilizes a decision-tree approach for a user to navigate the question of how to choose among a suite of ES assessment tools for different types of decision contexts. This Portal was developed with/for the intended user, including developing crosswalks between user language and descriptions of tool functionality for what the user might be looking for. The Portal has three paths intended for professionals involved with: 1. Ecological Risk Assessments 2. Contaminated Site Cleanups 3. Other Decision-Making Contexts (e.g., natural resource management, park and recreation planning, habitat restoration, and stormwater management)