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Building a science-governance partnership around ecosystem services to catalyze revitalization in Great Lakes Area of Concern communities
Citation:
Hoffman, J., T. Angradi, K. Williams, L. Burkhard, Dave Bolgrien, M. Tuchman, M. Mills, A. Pelka, AND S. Cieniawski. Building a science-governance partnership around ecosystem services to catalyze revitalization in Great Lakes Area of Concern communities. Community on Ecosystem Services, Washington, D.C., N/A, December 03 - 06, 2018.
Impact/Purpose:
We have been developing a science-governance partnership among US EPA Great Lakes National Program Office, US EPA Office of Research and Development, and states to foster the concept of Remediation to Restoration to Revitalization (R2R2R) a decision-support framework to help optimize ecological and social benefits from sediment remediation and aquatic habitat restoration efforts in Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs). Through this partnership, we have worked closely with local and state agencies and stakeholders to identify ecosystem services, benefits, and associated revitalization indicators; develop trade-off analyses tools; and examine trade-offs from proposed projects in terms of both ecosystem services and human health and wellbeing (using a Health Impact Assessment). The presentation will illustrate how R2R2R exemplifies overcoming practical challenges to incorporating ecosystem services in large, complex sediment remediation and aquatic habitat restoration projects to benefit communities.
Description:
Over the past four years, we have been developing a science-governance partnership among US EPA Great Lakes National Program Office, US EPA Office of Research and Development, and states to foster the concept of Remediation to Restoration to Revitalization (R2R2R) a decision-support framework to help optimize ecological and social benefits from sediment remediation and aquatic habitat restoration efforts in Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs). Great Lakes AOCs are coastal communities with aquatic resources that are highly contaminated or degraded, and whose clean-up is a priority under the US-Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. For AOCs, remediation and restoration goals are defined by the status of Beneficial Use Impairments (BUI), which conceptually are analogous to ecosystem services (e.g., loss of swimmable water). As such, the concept of ecosystem services can potentially serve to help AOC communities better realize the benefits of sediment remediation and habitat restoration. To do so, however, we need to determine which ecosystem services are affected and characterize the relationships between improving environmental quality, changing ecosystem services and benefits (e.g., increasing recreational or cultural value), and revitalizing urban waterfront neighborhoods. Through this partnership, we have worked closely with local and state agencies and stakeholders to identify ecosystem services, benefits, and associated revitalization indicators; develop trade-off analyses tools; and examine trade-offs from proposed projects in terms of both ecosystem services and human health and wellbeing (using a Health Impact Assessment). In this framework, translating ecological consequences from remediation and restoration projects to ecosystem services (e.g., swimmable water, potential for urban greenspace) and programmatic assessment needs into useful ecological and social metrics is critical to support decision-making. As such, we are designing the R2R2R framework to provide scientific information for decision-making, and do so by uniting environmental sciences, social sciences, and ecosystem management. The presentation will illustrate how R2R2R exemplifies overcoming practical challenges to incorporating ecosystem services in large, complex sediment remediation and aquatic habitat restoration projects.