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The Value of Final Ecosystem Goods and Services in Restoration Effectiveness Monitoring and Assessment
Citation:
Jackson, C., ConnieL Hernandez, M. Harwell, W. Berry, J. Hoffman, M. Kravitz, AND Ted DeWitt. The Value of Final Ecosystem Goods and Services in Restoration Effectiveness Monitoring and Assessment. SETAC North America 41st Annual Meeting, virtual, Virtual, November 15 - 19, 2020.
Impact/Purpose:
Monitoring changes to a restoration site is important to determine the success of the restoration project. Framing the restoration and monitoring goals from a human benefits perspective (i.e., ecosystem services) will help inform the restoration planners and surrounding community on how the community members are directly benefiting from the restoration. The goal of this presentation is to propose a methodology that demonstrates how ecosystem services and the methods used to measure those services can be incorporated into restoration monitoring plans. This methodology will be built from a literature review that assesses current restoration monitoring practices and the extent to which ecosystem services are currently being incorporated. This work will help address the lack of ecosystem services concepts in restoration monitoring practices to better connect restoration goals to what people in the community value.
Description:
Monitoring is an important aspect of restoration to establish the effectiveness of restoration efforts. Final ecosystem goods and services (FEGS) are the components of the environment directly enjoyed, consumed, or used to yield human well-being. Whereas benefits from nature are often stated as goals for doing restoration (e.g., to increase recreation, flood protection, nature-based education, etc.), measuring progress toward those outcomes is not often included in post-remediation monitoring. Incorporating FEGS into restoration effectiveness assessment (REA)s would be useful for measuring and communicating progress towards meeting the restoration goals from a human benefits perspective. The goal of this presentation is to demonstrate how FEGS concepts and tools can be incorporated into REAs. Key to this approach is identification of the FEGS that are relevant to a given restoration project, and to find or develop metrics to include in monitoring programs. We will introduce two tools useful for this: The National Ecosystem Services Classification System Plus (NESCS Plus) and the FEGS Scoping Tool. Secondly, we will present results of a literature review to assess the extent to which REA practices have included FEGS. Finally, we will present a generalized methodology that outlines how to incorporate FEGS endpoints and metrics into REA monitoring.