1. Incorporating Ecosystem Services into Federal Decision Making February 24, 2016 Benjamin Skolnik

2. Ecosystem Services Regulating Climate Regulation Disease Regulation Crop pollination Flood/Drought Control Water & Air Purification Water Supply Cultural Spiritual Recreation Ecotourism Aesthetic Inspirational Educational Cultural Heritage Supporting Soil Formation Nutrient Cycling Primary Production Provisioning Food Fresh Water Wood/Fuel Fiber Genetic Resources Pharmaceuticals The short- and long-term benefits people obtain from ecosystems include:

3. Agencies shall develop policies to promote consideration of ecosystem- services assessments within existing agency planning and decision frameworks, where appropriate and practicable, in accordance with their statutory authorities and consistent with their specific mission. - October 7, 2015 3 Executive Memorandum

4. Memo Implementation Timeline Mar 30, 2016: USAID to provide White House with proposed work plan Nov 30, 2016: White House will issue implementation guidance for peer and then public review USAID’s final work plan due 120 days after the release of final implementation guidance Benjamin Skolnik

5. Required Components of Work Plan 1.State of agency current practice; 2.Challenges impeding the consideration of ecosystem services; and 3.Policies, programs, or analyses appropriate for integrating ecosystem services assessments. 5 Benjamin Skolnik

6. Current Practice on Ecosystem Services Not restricted to one Bureau or Office, many sectors work on ecosystem services: Climate change adaptation and sustainable landscapes Forestry and biodiversity Land tenure and resource management Water Agriculture Environmental compliance Many cross-sector links 6 Benjamin Skolnik

7. Decentralized approach Data poor environments Technical and staffing capacity Need to align with host country and global diplomatic priorities Programming in Conflict Affected and Fragile States Humanitarian assistance 7 Challenges to Incorporation Benjamin Skolnik

8. Goal 1: Improve Consideration of Ecosystem Services in Environmental Analyses Tropical Forest & Biodiversity Assessments Climate Risk Management Agency Environmental Procedures Goal 2: Incorporate Ecosystem Services into Other Agency Analyses & Tools Cost Benefit Analysis Economic Growth Diagnostics Goal 3: Mainstream Ecosystem Services Across Agency Sectors & Program Areas Proposed Process for Mainstreaming Ecosystem Services Across Agency Sectors & Program Areas Proposed Work Plan

9. Questions? Join us at lunch today to discuss further For more information: Hadas Kushnir, hkushnir@usaid.gov Benjamin Skolnik