Federal Activities on Valuation of Ecosystem Services
Frank Casey
Science and Decisions Center US Geological Survey
Ecosystem Services Valuation Workshop
Portland State University
Portland, Oregon, July 8-9, 2013
Topics– PCAST
– NSTC/CENRS/SES
– QuEST/BEST
– ESWG
– NESP
– OMB
– BLM
Definitions and Clarifications
– PCAST: President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, 2011: Sustaining Environmental Capital: Protecting Society and the Economy (Ecosystem Services)
– Recommendation: Quadrennial Ecosystems Trends Assessment: QuEST
– Blue Print for Implementation of QuEST
– National Science and Technology Committee: NSTC
– Committee on Natural Resources and Sustainability: CENRS
– Sub-Committee on Ecological Systems: SES
Sub-Committee on Ecological Systems
Produced “BEST” Report: Biodiversity and Ecosystem Trends Assessment
*Note: This document is still under review by Federal agencies.
ES Valuation: Ecosystem Services Working Group (ESWG)
• Federal response to implementation of Recommendation 4 of the PCAST report: Agencies to improve capacity to develop ES valuations affected by their decisions and used in impact analysis.
• Valuation in physical and economic terms• US Forest Service, EPA• USGS lead on valuation methods team• Just getting started
Complementary Activities on Valuation
• National Ecosystem Services Partnership: Incorporating ES concepts and valuation into a guidebook for federal land management decision makers.
• Bureau of Land Management: Guidance for incorporating ES valuation into land management decisions
• Office of Management and Budget:
Federal data call for ES valuation projects
Complementary Valuation Activities
• Army Corps of Engineers Guidance Effort
• US Forest Service Planning Rule
• National Park Service
• NOAA Guidance
-Strengthen the case for public cost-share
-Request increased public funds for research and conservation
Major Challenges• Coordination
• Consistency
• Flexibility
-Strengthen the case for public cost-share
-Request increased public funds for research and conservation