EPA/600/F-16/314 science in ACTION INNOVATIVE RESEARCH FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE www. e pa. gov/resea rc h a The Rapid Benefit Indicators Approach: A Process for Assessing the Social Benefits of Ecological Restoration The Rapid Benefit Indicators (RBI) Approach is an easy-to- use process for assessing restoration sites using non- monetary benefit indicators. The RBI uses readily-available data to estimate and quantify benefits to people around an ecological restoration site. Whether you are a federal, state, or local manager, or a member of an interest group orfunding organization, this simple yet powerful site analysis will make restoration decisions clearer for you and for stakeholders. The RBI Approach can be used to: •S Prioritize restoration sites and projects ^ Screen projects that may require further evaluation S Justify funding requests S Assess who may benefit most from a project S Evaluate tradeoffs ^ Inform people about the benefits of restoration S Evaluate what a project has accomplished j Inform further planning ^ Inform a structured decision- making process or monetary valuation The Assessment Process Through the five step process, you will: l. Describe the decision context, including objectives and scope, who is affected, and what their needs are 2.Select and describe relevant ecosystem services and benefits, and record general characteristics of each 3. Compile benefit indicators using five questions: • Are people able to benefit? • Who benefits? • How do benefits compare across sites? • What are the social equity implications? • How reliable are benefits over time? 4.Summarize the indicators 5. Use the results in decision- making Assessing the Benefits of Wetland Restoration: A Rapid Benefit Indicators Approach for Decision Makers This report presents the RBI approach and its application to wetland restoration. It provides step-by-step instructions for performing assessments. Each step is introduced by a summary of the step and how to apply it. You will then find pages showing the "Step in Action" to demonstrate how the step is applied in a real-world scenario, using an example application to freshwater wetland restoration in the Woonasquatucket River Watershed in Rhode Island, USA. The companion spreadsheet checklist tool provides a way to record the information and compare sites. It includes prompts to guide the process, and automatically summarizes the information. Available at: www.epa.gov/water-research/rapid-benefit-indicators-rbi-approach U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development CONTACT: Marisa Mazzotta, ORD, NHEERL Atlantic Ecology Division, Narragansett, Rl 401-782-3026 / mazzotta.marisa@epa.gov ------- |