The Federal Resource Management and Ecosystem Services Guidebook Federal Resource Management and Ecosystem Services Guidebook nespguidebook.com

Federal Resource Management and Ecosystem Services Guidebook | nespguidebook.com U NDERSTAND THE M OTIVATION FOR AN ECOSYSTEM SERVICES APPROACH

M OTIVATION Federal Resource Management and Ecosystem Services Guidebook | nespguidebook.com Common Categories Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 3 Provisioning Goods or products produced by ecosystems Regulating Natural processes regulated by ecosystems Cultural Non-material benefits obtained from ecosystems 3 Supporting Functions that maintain all other services Source of slide: Businesses for Social Responsibility

M OTIVATION Federal Resource Management and Ecosystem Services Guidebook | nespguidebook.com An Ecosystem Services Approach Katie Locklier, 2013 USDA, FS Tony Alter, Wikimedia Commons Katie Locklier, 2013 USDA FS Rob Haight, USFS N. Research Station Vera Kratovchil, PublicDomainPictures.net

M OTIVATION Federal Resource Management and Ecosystem Services Guidebook | nespguidebook.com An Ecosystem Services Approach Alan Cressler, USGS U.S. EPA Shannon Bauer, USACE BLM Montana Office George Gentry, FWS Vera Kratovchil, PublicDomainPictures.net Vera Kratovchil, PublicDomainPictures.net

M OTIVATION Federal Resource Management and Ecosystem Services Guidebook | nespguidebook.com Focus on Comparing Options Comparing the effects of changes in management on ecosystem service outcomes for options under consideration: – Alternative management options, sites, or scenarios – Prioritization across different project types or investments – Comparison of projected scenarios of alternative futures (regional or national scale)

M OTIVATION Federal Resource Management and Ecosystem Services Guidebook | nespguidebook.com When to Use and ES Approach Key questions to think about: What services are important? Are they already considered in planning processes? Would including ecosystem services….. Help resolve or reduce conflicts? Create opportunities for partnerships? Potentially lead to a different decision? An ecosystem services approach is not helpful in all contexts or situations.

M OTIVATION Federal Resource Management and Ecosystem Services Guidebook | nespguidebook.com Potential Benefits A better assessment of impacts on human health, wealth, and well-being versus U.S. EPA Shannon Bauer, USACE BLM Montana Office George Gentry, FWS Vera Kratovchil, PublicDomainPictures.net Vera Kratovchil, PublicDomainPictures.net Alan Cressler, USGS U.S. EPA BLM Montana Office

M OTIVATION Federal Resource Management and Ecosystem Services Guidebook | nespguidebook.com Potential Benefits versus U.S. EPA Shannon Bauer, USACE BLM Montana Office George Gentry, FWS Vera Kratovchil, PublicDomainPictures.net Vera Kratovchil, PublicDomainPictures.net Alan Cressler, USGS U.S. EPA BLM Montana Office An explicit assessment of tradeoffs

M OTIVATION Federal Resource Management and Ecosystem Services Guidebook | nespguidebook.com Potential Benefits Reduced High Flows Crayfish Habitat Fish population Riparian Habitat Flood Zone versus BLM Montana Office A more holistic or complete assessment of how management will effect people and improved communications and stakeholder buy-in (etc.)

M OTIVATION Federal Resource Management and Ecosystem Services Guidebook | nespguidebook.com Potential Benefits Vera Kratovchil, PublicDomainPictures.net versus U.S. EPA Shannon Bauer, USACE BLM Montana Office George Gentry, FWS Vera Kratovchil, PublicDomainPictures.net Vera Kratovchil, PublicDomainPictures.net Alan Cressler, USGS U.S. EPA BLM Montana Office Inclusive of all ecosystem service benefits even if they are difficult to quantify

M OTIVATION Federal Resource Management and Ecosystem Services Guidebook | nespguidebook.com Potential Benefits versus U.S. EPA Shannon Bauer, USACE BLM Montana Office George Gentry, FWS Vera Kratovchil, PublicDomainPictures.net Vera Kratovchil, PublicDomainPictures.net Alan Cressler, USGS U.S. EPA BLM Montana Office $500,000 $750,000 Ecosystem service benefits can sometimes be expressed in monetary terms improving cross comparison and communication

M OTIVATION Federal Resource Management and Ecosystem Services Guidebook | nespguidebook.com Potential Benefits Analysis of who has access and benefits from changes in services can be the basis for understanding distributional or equity implications Alex Chuman

M OTIVATION Federal Resource Management and Ecosystem Services Guidebook | nespguidebook.com Agencies are Seeing Benefits  Incorporates additional services into decision making – NOAA Blue Carbon  Can result in more efficient NEPA process – Deschutes National Forest, Marsh restoration project  Improves stakeholder engagement – California regional forest planning  Helps to identify potential partners to improve cost- effectiveness of management – USFS Forest to Faucets project  Identifies best options for supporting public welfare – EPA NOx and SOx standards

M OTIVATION Federal Resource Management and Ecosystem Services Guidebook | nespguidebook.com Frequently Asked Questions Does this approach…. 1.Get used in all management decisions?  No 2.Replace assessments of traditional economic benefits?  No 3.Favor easy to quantify services?  No 4.Require monetization of all services?  No 5.Always change the outcome of a decision?  No 6.Replace existing agency priorities?  No An ecosystem services approach complements existing processes by providing additional information.

M OTIVATION Federal Resource Management and Ecosystem Services Guidebook | nespguidebook.com Potential Challenges  Technical terminology may cause confusion  Gaps in data and modeling for ecosystem services could limit quantification  Insufficient in-house technical capacity  Managing greater engagement with a larger number of stakeholders  Concern that significant effort is required for potentially small impact on decisions

“Using an ecosystem services perspective is like moving from black and white to full spectrum color in terms of the richness of the analysis and the ability to communicate it to the public.” John Allen, Deschutes National Forest Supervisor Federal Resource Management and Ecosystem Services Guidebook nespguidebook.com

For more information, contact Lydia Olander: Federal Resource Management and Ecosystem Services Guidebook nespguidebook.com