EBM Tools Projects
Linking Joint Objectives of Conserving Biodiversity and Sustaining Fishery Production: Case Study from the Pacific Northwest
The Nature Conservancy and partners at NOAA Fisheries, University of British Columbia and the University of Queensland have prepared a case study from the Pacific Northwest Coast that examines approaches and methods for linking biodiversity conservation and fishery production objectives within one spatial planning framework. Two EBM tools were used: the optimized site selection tool, Marxan, and a fisheries-based ecosystem modeling tool, Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE). Two approaches for combining these objectives are illustrated. In the first approach, Marxan solutions are developed with and without data on marine fish. In the second approach, Marxan solutions are directly linked to EwE models through the Ecospace module to evaluate the effects of selecting areas for the conservation of representative biodiversity on fishery production. Learn more.
Meeting Joint Objectives of Conserving Coastal Wetlands and Mitigating Hazards: Case Study from the Florida Panhandle
The Nature Conservancy and partners at NOAA Coastal Services Center and the University of Queensland have prepared a case study from the Florida Panhandle that examines approaches for jointly meeting objectives in biodiversity conservation and coastal hazard mitigation. Three EBM tools were used: the optimized site selection tool, Marxan; the coastal hazards planning tool, Community Vulnerability Assessment Tool (CVAT); and Ecoregional Assessment approach for biodiversity conservation. Learn more.
Alternatives for Coastal Development: Case Study from Coastal Georgia
NOAA Coastal Services Center has created the Alternatives for Coastal Development: One Site, Three Scenarios website that illustrates three hypothetical development scenarios for a residential area in coastal Georgia. A suite of EBM tools was used to calculate and compare economic, environmental, and social indicators for each scenario and visualize the scenarios. EBM tools used include CommunityViz ArcView 3.x extension for indicator development, the SGWater module of the U.S. EPA's free Smart Growth Index software for estimating pollutant runoff, and Visual Nature Studio for creating spatially referenced photorealistic 3-D scenes from each scenario. Learn more.
Transborder Watershed Research Program
The Tijuana River Watershed Project is a cooperative effort between San Diego State University (United States) and El Colegio de la Frontera Norte (Mexico) to initiate for the Tijuana River and Upper San Pedro River basins an integrative program of research that explores the gap between the transborder watershed as an ecological unit and the transborder watershed as a planning and administrative unit. EBM tools such as PLAnning for Community Energy Economic and Environmental Sustainability (PLACE3S), EPA's BASINS, and INDEX to answer the following questions:
- What economic, social, political, and ecological processes interact to generate land use patterns in the Tijuana River and Upper San Pedro River watersheds?
- What factors have influenced the spatial and temporal distribution of land use?
- How does land use impact the quality and quantity of water available?
- What are the ecological consequences of water resource degradation?
How do these land use patterns and processes influence environmental conditions?
Learn more about this project.
San Juan County Marine Resources Committee
The San Juan Marine Resources Committee, The Nature Conservancy, and the Northwest Straits Initiative are utilizing The Nature Conservancy's 5-S Framework to develop a science-based, strategic stewardship plan of action for the Marine Stewardship Area of the San Juan Islands in the Pacific Northwest. Learn more.
