EPA/600/R-09/102
www.epa.gov
science BRIEF
BUILDING A SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATION FOR SOUND ENVIRONMENTAL DECISIONS
ECOSYSTEM SERVICES DECISION SUPPORT: A LIVING DATABASE OF EXISTING TOOLS,
APPROACHES AND TECHNIQUES FOR SUPPORTING DECISIONS RELATED TO ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
Scope and Purpose
Planners and decision makers are
challenged to consider not only direct
market costs, but also ecological
externalities. There is an increasing
emphasis on ecosystem services in
the context of human well-being, and
therefore the valuation and accounting
of ecosystem services is becoming
an integral component of economic
efficiency (Costanza2003, Millennium
Ecosystem Assessment 2005).
Depending on the type of decision
to be made, associated ecosystem
services may be quantified by using
a variety of approaches that could
consider deterministic physical and
chemical processes, known empirical
relationships, and/or socioeconomic
valuation methods. There are existing
lists and directories that emphasize
process modeling to evaluate results
of water resources decisions, changes
in mass and energy budgets, and other
direct physical manipulations. These
can be found on several governmental
and non-governmental websites. In the
context of decisions that affect ecosystem
services in the more general sense.
ecological externalities may be quantified
Probabilistic Model, 2,
Game, 2
Landscape Model, 3
Valuation, 4
Government Program, 6 —x
Conceptual Modeling, 6 —,
Model Development
Tools, 8
Maps, 10 —
Database, 10
MappingTool,i2
Social Networking, 14 \
Empirical Model, 15
Economic Model,
Workshop, 2
Multi Media Model, 1
using process models, but there may
be tools and techniques that consider
broader measures. The Ecosystem-
Based Management Tools Network
(NatureServe 2008) has developed a
database of tools that consider bundled
ecosystem services emphasizing coastal
and marine systems. The database
presented herein augments the scope of
ecosystem services in the broad sense of
decision support related to the USEPA's
Ecosystem Services Research Program
(USEPA2009). The purpose is to provide
an evolving searchable database of
tools, approaches, and techniques that
can be applied in analytic-deliberative
decision support processes accounting
for improving decisions that may affect
ecosystem services.
What Types of Tools are Currently
Listed in the Database?
At present (June, 2009) the Ecosystem
Services Tools database contains
approximately 235 records and this
number is increasing. Figure 1 shows the
fractions of the total list by tool category
(pie chart on the left). The Decision
Support System Category is further
broken out in the pie chart on the right.
Social Leveraging, 2
Real-time Observation, 2
Prioritization, 2
Optimization, 2
Database, 2
Stressor Identification, 3
Science Reinforcement, 3
Guidance, 25
Data
\Reduction, 16
Adaptive
Management, 8 \^
Valuation, 12
Future Directions
The Ecosystem Services Tools database
is scheduled to be migrated into the
MySQL database management system
in September, 2009. In FY 2010 a user
interface will be developed to allow
users to build a query to find a list of
tools that can help meet their decision
support needs, based on a series of
questions. These will include questions
about the type of decision to be made.
the category(ies) of tool(s) needed, the
temporal and special scales of interest.
amount and type of data available, the
user's scientific background, and the type
of ecosystem being considered.
REFERENCES:
Costanza, R., 2003. Social goals and the
valuation of natural capital. Environmental
Monitoring and Assessment 86:19-23.
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
2005. Ecosystems and Human Well-being
Opportunities and Challenges for Business
and Industry. World Resources Institute.
Washington, DC.
NatureServe, 2008. Ecosystem-
Based Management Tools Network.
www.ebmtools.org, Factsheet.
USERA, 2009. U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency Ecosystem Services Research
Program, http://www.epa. gov/ord/esrp/
(last accessed June 11, 2009).
CONTACTS:
Bart Faulkner
USEPA Robert S. Kerr Environmental
Research Center
Ground Water and Ecosystems Restoration
P.O. Box 1198
Ada, OK 74821-1198
or,
Ann Vega
USEPA/NRMRL
26 West Martin Luther King Drive
Mail Code 489
Cincinnati, OH 45268
Figure 1. Listing of the categories of tools for the Ecosystem Services Tools database.
I U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
| Office of Research and Development
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Table 1. Glossary of terms in the Ecosystem Services Tools database.
Tool Type
Decision Support System
Process Based Model
Guidance
Economic Model
Empirical Model
Social Networking
Mapping Tool
Database
Maps
Model Development Tool
Conceptual Modeling
Government Program
Valuation
Landscape Model
Game
Probabilistic Model
Workshop
Multi Media Model
Presentation
Search
Description
See right side, Figure 1
Model that uses physical or chemical principles
Synthesis of information to aid decision making
Model that focuses on the interaction between the environment, the humans, and our use of goods
and services
Model that uses and tests hypotheses through observation and experimentation
Tool that measures interactions among individuals or groups in decision making
Tool or application that builds maps from external information, such as remote sensing
images
An organized compilation of data
Portal for distribution of existing maps
Development environment for constructing models
Tool for building concept maps and models
A government agency or program that produces outputs useful for ecosystem services decision
support
Tool or methodology for quantifying value for economic analysis and decision support
Models which use landscape metrics for data reduction
Role-playing tool
Model which uses elements of probability theory
Product that came from a workshop
Model that considers fate and transport among different environmental media (e.g., soil
water, air)
, surface
Presentation that serves as a decision support tool
Search engine
The following individuals have contributed to the content of the Ecosystem Services Tools database:
Noman Ahsanuzzaman, Shaw Environmental
Jane Bare, USEPA
William Barrett, USEPA
Patricia Bradley, USEPA
David Burden, USEPA
Tim Canfield, USEPA
Lisa Costantino, Independent Contractor
Curtis Cooper, USEPA
Rob Earle, Shaw Environmental
Justin Groves, Independent Contractor
Joseph Retzer, USEPA
Betsy Smith, USEPA
Mark Stacy, Shaw Environmental
Tom Stockton, Neptune and Company
Denis White, USEPA
I U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development
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