The Natural Capital Project

If we provide tools to help people understand what we get from nature, And we test and use that understanding to inform decisions,Will greater and more cost effective investments be made for ecosystems and people?

water

livelihoods

food

happiness

energy

health

protection

climate regulation

InVEST

Fisheries

Aquaculture: finfish

Coastal Vulnerability

Recreation

Wave Energy

Carbon Sequestration

Habitat Risk Assmt

Aesthetic Quality

Water Quality

Water purification

Sediment retention

Crop pollination

Hydropower

Irrigation water

NTFPs

Flood control

Commercial timber

Coastal Protection Aquaculture: shellfish

BiodiversityCarbon sequ’n

Agricultural prod’n

http://www.naturalcapitalproject.org/

Production Function

NAS 2005, Daily et al 2009

Where do habitats provide protection?Who or what is protected?What is cost effectiveness of alternative

protection approaches?

An example starting with one service…..

oyster reef

Nearshore Wave and Erosion Model

seagrass beds

marshesmangroves coral reefs

sand dunes

Erosion and flooding hazards

Off

sh

ore

Beach

Erosion Difference: 1.5m

friction factor depth distance period wavelength shoaling coefficient

wave height

Guannel et al. 2012

transmissioncoefficient

Kelp

Wetlands (MLPA)

Coastal Vulnerability

VI

1 - 3 (Low)

3-4

4-6 (Medium)

6-10

10-16 (High)

Kelp

Wetlands (MLPA)

Coastal Vulnerability

VI

1 - 3 (Low)

3-4

4-6 (Medium)

6-10

10-16 (High)

Kelp

Wetlands (MLPA)

Coastal Vulnerability

VI

1 - 3 (Low)

3-4

4-6 (Medium)

6-10

10-16 (High)

Natural Habitat (less)

Influence of natural habitat on coastal vulnerabilityIn Monterey Bay

Wetlands (NWI)

Kelp

Coastal Vulnerability (NWI)

VI

1 - 3 (Low)

3-4

4-6 (Medium)

6-10

10-16 (High)

Natural Habitat (more)

SanatationPumpStations

DrainageJunctions

Coastal Vulnerability

VI

1 - 3 (Low)

3-4

4-6 (Medium)

6-10

10-16 (High)

Coastal Vulnerability

VI

1 - 3 (Low)

3-4

4-6 (Medium)

6-10

10-16 (High)

VegetationAgricultureUrban

SanitationDrainage

Vulnerability of What? Of Whom?

TEXAS CITY

D I F F E R E N C E I NC O A S T A L V U L N E R A B I L I T Y

H i g h es t

L o w es t

N o ne

Elderly population

HarvestedBiomass

LandedBiomass

Visitation Rates

AvoidedArea

Flooded/Eroded

Energy Captured

Recreation

Fishery

Aquaculture

Coastal Protection

Wave Energy

ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

Model Outputs(ecosystem services & values)Marine InVEST ModelsInput Data (reflect scenarios)

Habitat type

Species distribution

Bathymetry & Topography

SOCIO-ECONOMIC

VALUATION

Aesthetic Quality

CarbonCarbon

Sequestered

Oceanography

2

6

1 8

9

3

7

4

5

SCEN

ARIO

S

Value ofcarbon

sequestered

Value of captured

wave energy

Expenditures due to

recreationactivity

Net present

value of

finfish and

shellfish

Value of avoided

damagesHabitatRisk

WaterQuality

Population density

Property values

Aquaculture operation costs

BIO-PHYSICAL

Demographics

TERRESTRIAL SYSTEMS

e.g.

Compatibility: Wave energy and commercial fisheries

Vancouver Island objectives: renewable, sustainable local energy sources, commercial fishing, recreation

Kim et al, in review

Testing many kinds of decision contexts

Decision Context Geography

Spatial Planning Tanzania, Indonesia, British Columbia, Hawaii, China, Belize

Ecosystem-based management (terrestrial-marine links)

Puget Sound, Galveston Bay, Chesapeake Bay

Climate adaptation (ecosystem-based adaptation)

Galveston Bay, Monterey Bay

Return on restoration investments, PES schemes

Colombia water funds, Gulf of Mexico, Indonesia, China

Impact assessment, permitting, licensing

Colombia mining concessions, agricultural practices in US

Supply chain/LCA, business risk US, South America, global

NatCap demonstration projects around the world……

• Using multiple ES in decisions is appealing, but early days

• High demand for tools• Not all about PES, $ values• Decision makers can easily consider trade-offs in

different (value) currencies• Working on:

– jobs/livelihoods– beyond basic correlations for human well being