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The Ecological Suitability Approach: Communication and data needs
Citation:
Reschke, E., L. Smith, AND J. Bousquin. The Ecological Suitability Approach: Communication and data needs. National Monitoring Conference, Virginia Beach, VA, April 24 - 28, 2023.
Impact/Purpose:
The ecological suitability approach is intended to inform restoration decision-making in Gulf of Mexico estuaries. Communicating utility of the approach and results is essential to leveraging partnerships for enhancing coastal monitoring programs to fill data gaps.
Description:
Socio-ecological assessments can inform restoration prioritization and restoration effectiveness for adaptive management. In estuarine systems, these assessments should evaluate the ability of habitats to support both ecologically and locally important species and combine coastal monitoring data and stakeholder values to help prioritize restoration actions. Such an approach can be aimed at maintaining and improving ecological functions and accommodating human use. A composite measure of ecological suitability (ES) leverages ecological monitoring and socio-economic data to provide spatial assessments for screening sites and prioritizing restoration in estuarine resources. Gulf of Mexico (GOM) estuarine species of interest are identified from NOAA’s Estuarine Living Marine Resources Database (ELMR). Data from EPA’s Water Quality Portal are aggregated and compared to habitat requirement thresholds and scored to assess habitat suitability within a defined spatial unit. To characterize habitat, modifying factors (extent and quality of preferred habitat) are applied to habitat suitability scores. The four types of information are suggested as habitat modifying factors: mapped substrate coverage (vegetation, oysters, sediment type), benthic invertebrate abundance, sediment quality and fish tissue contaminants. Benthic invertebrate abundance, sediment quality, and fish tissue contaminant data from EPA’s National Coastal Assessment (NCA) and the National Coastal Condition Assessment (NCCA) for GOM region are used for the remaining three modifying factors. ES for a defined spatial unit is the habitat characterization value weighted by ecological and social importance. The weighting factors are based on predator-prey relationships and the social benefits associated with those species. Potential data gaps exist for ES assessments: spatial and temporal data needs for modifying factors and stakeholder input required to fully develop the social weighting factors. Local enhancements of NCCA surveys and other coastal monitoring programs are needed to fill ecological data gaps. Community involvement is also needed to identify beneficiary groups and what they value in relation to the species of interest. The ES approach is intended to support restoration decision-making in the GOM. Effectively communicating the utility of the ES approach is essential to gaining support for additional monitoring efforts and stakeholder involvement.
