esherwoo77
commented
7 years ago Your proposal aligns well with my group synthesis project interest (#32) in that we're both interested in focusing future restoration activities throughout the Gulf towards areas that may be the most vulnerable, and therefore provide the greatest returns, both ecologically and societally speaking. You've referenced some Gulfwide datasets that I know might aid in identifying social aspects of Gulf coastal communities at the scales of interest. Other regional products (if available) might also provide additional societal links to restoration activities. For example in my area, the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council has developed estimates of economic returns (in the form of regional employment utilizing REMI) of a "healthy" Tampa Bay estuary. This sort of assessment angle may provide some useful links within the framework you propose above. Here's a link to the report on the Tampa Bay assessment: http://www.tbeptech.org/TBEP_TECH_PUBS/2014/TBEP_04_14_%20FinalReport_Economic_Valuation_of_Tampa_Bay_Estuary.pdf .
JessicaHenkel
fawda123
kdorans
pvarelag
aesacco
adellapa
Author: Jessica Henkel Topics: social science; economics; ecosystem services
Summary of synthesis
As a result of settlements following the DWH oil spill, the Council will receive approximately $1.6 Billion (plus interest) in the Council-Selected Restoration Component over the next fifteen years for projects and programs “which would restore and protect the natural resources, ecosystems, fisheries, marine and wildlife habitats, beaches, coastal wetlands, and economy of the Gulf Coast.” The Council recognizes that regional ecosystem restoration activities can also have multiple human benefit (e.g., social, economic and cultural), such as restoring habitats that sustainably support diverse fish and wildlife populations, while also providing an array of commercial, recreational, and other human uses of the ecosystem. However, while our understanding of relationships between ecosystems and human well-being is growing, decision-makers in the Gulf, including the Council, lack the data synthesis tools to easily evaluate the ecosystem services benefits of these restoration activities. The RESTORE Council, and other Gulf funding agencies, such as the Gulf Research Program, would greatly benefit from a project that synthesizes ecological, social, economic and cultural data in a way that allows for the assessment of the ecosystem service benefits of currently funded restoration projects, and can assist in the development and identification of future activities that maximize both environmental and societal benefits. While a project of this scope is likely outside the capabilities of a synthesis activity that can be completed during this NCEAS training session, the development of a key components of this activity is not. The objective of this synthesis project is to assemble a standardized inventory of regional and Gulf-wide social and economic data currently tracked by programs in the Gulf of Mexico to provide a singular and definitive point of access to information needed to inform the establishment of consistent socio-economic metrics for restoration activities in the Gulf.
One of the difficulties in synthesizing interdisciplinary data to assess the ecosystem services benefits of restoration activities in the Gulf of Mexico is the variety and number of projects and programs that have been/are being funded (both as a result of the DWH oil spill as well as activities pre-dating the spill), and a lack of consistency in data management requirements and monitoring metrics. To help address this issue the RESTORE Council approved funding of the Council Monitoring and Assessment Program to facilitate establishing these standards and protocols for Council funded activities (CMAP-projected start date is March 1, 2017; more details can be found in the FPL Appendix available at https://restorethegulf.gov/sites/default/files/FPL_forDec9Vote_Errata_04-07-2016.pdf#page=228). The CMAP project is aiming to adopt, or construct as needed, a comprehensive inventory of existing habitat and water quality observations and monitoring programs in the Gulf. Currently, however, there is no plan to incorporate social data (e.g., demographic) and metrics (e.g., natural resource based employment) into this evaluation, and there are no social scientists on the program’s Primary Advisory Team. This data synthesis project would enhance the activities of the CMAP project by i) identifying current social and economic data monitored by Gulf of Mexico activities; ii) identifying opportunities to incorporate metrics that build upon this existing data into current and future restoration activities in the Gulf.
Gulf restoration and research activities are being conducted at multiple spatial and temporal scales (e.g. important habitats such as Alabama seagrass habitat, as well as gulf-wide). Therefore, regional and Gulf-wide programs will be the primary target for this data synthesis inventory which will consolidate metadata from state and federal agency programs, such as: American Community Survey, NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management, EPA’s National Coastal Assessment, and Louisiana’s System-Wide Assessment and Monitoring Program. This activity would work to identify data that can indicate changes in vulnerable populations, key economic sectors, and property values to help establish baseline information and determine if social impacts are occurring within restoration activity areas (Colten & Hemmerling, 2014).
This synthesis activity would help provide the foundation for a framework for comprehensive monitoring across Gulf restoration activities for both natural and human systems. In addition to ensuring consistency and scalability among monitoring objectives, data collection methods, and overall project design, this framework will provide future guidance to both restoration programs such as the RESTORE Council, as well as research programs such as the Gulf Research program, for selecting projects and providing research funding to fill identified gaps in socio-economic monitoring in the Gulf of Mexico.