The FRMES project will culminate with publication of an online guidebook describing what ecosystem services are and why their identification and valuation can be useful to federal resource managers and planners. The guidebook provides a framework and methodology for ensuring consistent and credible application of the ecosystem services concept to planning and management efforts. It includes descriptions of how federal agencies are exploring or applying an ecosystem services framework. Laying the groundwork for the guidebook are two papers that explain how the Federal Land Management and Policy Act of 1976 and the National Environmental Policy Act enable or limit agencies’ incorporation of ecosystem services approaches into federal planning and management processes.
The FRMES Guidebook will be unveiled at the A Community on Ecosystem Services Conference in Washington, D.C., December 8–12, 2014. Several events at the conference will focus on this guidebook including:
- A pre-conference workshop delving into some of the methods for integrating ecosystem services into planning processes
- A special session reviewing how agencies are integrating ecosystem services into planning and management activities
- A special session discussing the data and modeling infrastructure needed to successfully conduct ecosystem services assessments nationwide
Source: nicholasinstitute.duke.edu
GR: Concerned scientists have been working hard to bring nature conservation into mainstream land use management. The work focuses on defining the value of nature to humans. What is the monetary value of a watershed, and so forth. This year and next, the project will issue several publications that may help in the battles to save the species required for ecosystems to work.
