Events

Demonstration of InVEST by Heather Tallis of the Natural Capital Project. 

Government officials, conservation professionals, farmers, and other land owners make decisions about how to use their land all the time. Yet, never before have any of these groups had a systematic way to demonstrate the future costs and benefits of their decisions for people and the environment. In its most ground-breaking effort, the Natural Capital Project aims to meet this challenge with InVEST, a new tool that can model and map the delivery, distribution, and economic value of life-support systems (ecosystem services), well into the future. The tool will help users visualize the impacts of potential decisions, identifying tradeoffs and compatibilities between environmental, economic, and social benefits.  Learn more about InVEST.  For more information, contact the EBM Tools Network Coordinator Sarah Carr at sarah_carr@natureserve.org.

Presentation of "Models in support of decision making: deliberative effectiveness, explanatory effectiveness, and policy relevance of models in natural resources management. Case studies in the Laurentian Great Lakes" by Emily Therese Cloyd from the U.S. Climate Change Science Program Office (June 24, 3 pm EDT).  This study focused on how participants experienced the process of using models to support policy decisions and what their experiences suggest for designing future processes. We analyzed four cases in which computer simulation models served as decision support tools, all drawn from the Laurentian Great Lakes.  For each case, we assessed how models have been used in decision making, their strengths and weaknesses as decision tools, the ways they have enhanced or undermined decision processes, and ways their development and use could be improved. We conducted in-depth interviews with modelers, managers, decision-makers, and stakeholders and drew on scientific and technical literature related to each case in order to understand the "success" of models as decision support tools in three areas: (1) deliberative effectiveness (fostering communication among participants); (2) explanatory effectiveness (achieving a shared understanding of the problem and solutions); and (3) policy relevance (relevant to the actual policy decisions being made).  Download the full report (JP Manno, R Smardon, JV DePinto, ET Cloyd, and SM Del Granado. 2008 The use of models in Great Lakes decision making: an interdisciplinary synthesis. Randolph G. Pack Environmental Institute: Syracuse, NY. Occasional Paper 16. 95 pp.) at www.esf.edu/es/documents/GreatLakesRpt.pdf.  For more information about the demonstration, contact the EBM Tools Network Coordinator Sarah Carr at sarah_carr@natureserve.org.

Technology Tools for Ecosystem-Based Management of Coral Reefs to be held at the International Coral Reef Symposium in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

This training workshop will provide an overview of recently-developed technology tools and methods for facilitating Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) of coral reef ecosystems.  In particular, we will focus on tools and methods that can help resource managers and policymakers collect, visualize, analyze, and integrate diverse types of information (such as information on the coral reef ecosystem and human communities that depend on it); provide decision support for common coral reef conservation, restoration, and resource management decisions; and help engage communities and stakeholders in the decision making process.  If interested in participating, contact the organizers as soon as possible.  For more information, contact the EBM Tools Network Research Assistant Lindsay Elder at lindsay_elder@natureserve.org.