Tribal Ecosystem Research Program (TERP) Workshop: Proper Functioning Condition (PFC) Assessment for Management and Monitoring
Citation:
Hall, R., D. Heggem, T. Harris, S. Swanson, AND J. Lin. Tribal Ecosystem Research Program (TERP) Workshop: Proper Functioning Condition (PFC) Assessment for Management and Monitoring. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-14/344, 2014.
Impact/Purpose:
The purpose of this workshop is to bring together Tribal environmental scientists with USEPA ORD physical, biological and social scientists to develop and conduct collaborative sustainable ecosystem research. The objective is to open a communication process as part of a technology transfer to merge ecological science and Tribal traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). Collaborative research is to understand the linkages between traditional knowledge, locally evolved management systems and human health and well‐being to enhance the evolution of ecosystem services sciences.
Description:
USEPA is developing alternative approaches to quantify improvements to impaired waterbodies (USEPA 303(d)/TMDL Draft Guidance). Tribal environmental programs are leading the way in the paradigm shift towards sustainability of natural resources. Resources such as wildlife, aquatic habitat are dependent on the development of a riparian and upland management strategy, which considers and adapts to certain ecological relationships. Tribal traditional environmental knowledge (TEK) is a central concept in the cultural and resource stewardship practices of Native Americans. Native American populations have been accumulating knowledge of these ecosystem relationships, and have relied on them for basic survival for thousands of years. As such, TEK is the accumulated understanding of ecosystem function. As North America’s first environmental stewards, Native American populations have developed a unique relationship with the land and its resources. Objective of this workshop is to fuse TEK with environmental science to create an ecosystem, or landscape, research program oriented toward land management practices. This is essentially translating and combining TEK with an ecosystem function approach to provide a comprehensive basis for identifying and evaluating current and historical land use practices. Tribal and USEPA cooperative stream and wetland research focuses on making the connections between upland and riparian ecosystems. Analyzing spatial relationships and short‐ and long‐term trends can determine if goals and objectives are being met (USEPA 303(d)/TMDL Draft Guidance). Defining ecosystem function potential will determine what changes are needed for moving the ecosystem toward the desired condition and developing and comparing management alternatives (i.e., TEK). The proper Functioning Condition (PFC) protocol, developed by the Bureau of Land Management, refers to how well 2 the physical processes within a stream and wetland riparian area are working and able to sustain a state of resiliency during high‐flow events. This resiliency allows an area to provide valued ecosystem services(e.g., fish habitat, livestock and/or wildlife forage, water purification, carbon storage and nutrient cycling), and to sustain the area over time. Ten Tribes attended the workshop. Primary interest is in the sustainability of natural resources and their ecological services to meet the nutritional, cultural, societal and economic needs of Tribal communities.