Valuing Ecosystem Services of a Restored River of Grass

1. Valuing Ecosystem Services of a Restored River of Grass 20th Annual SW FL Water Resources Conference The Next Generation of Water Challenges November 19, 2010 Royal Palm Yacht Club, Fort Myers, FL John Arthur Marshall Presenting an ESV analysis by the 2010 Arthur R. Marshall Summer Interns (The Colorful Slides are theirs)

2. Valuing Ecosystem Services of a Restored “River of Grass” GEER 2010: Ecosystem Services Valuation as a Method to Guide Future Planning, Policy, and Science WRAC Meeting: July 8, 2010 Arthur R. Marshall Foundation Summer Interns: Angelique Giraud, Ed Pritchard, Dylan Scott, Adrienne Smith, Jim Wally

3. The Honorable Rock Salt gives the 2010 Summer Intern Team a thumb’s up!

4. Introduction • Valuing ecosystem services = ESV is an aid to environmental decision-making • Six configurations are from ROG stakeholders • Analysis uses Costanza, et al, synthesis of planetary ecosystem services value with benefits in terms of $$$ per acre per year • Benefit-to-cost (B:C) ratios are indicators of optimum value

5. Table 1. Summary of 6 ROG configuration feature acreages.

6. Figure 1. ESV for floodplains ($ ac-1yr-1). Services provided by marsh/swamp configuration features share similar functions with floodplains as defined by Constanza et al. Water supply is the greatest economic benefit value. Values of Services for Floodplains/marsh ($ ac-1 yr-1)

7. Table 2. Ecosystem services found in water conservation features. Flow-ways provide significant ecosystem services values. Values have been adjusted to match potential functions.

8. Table 3. The annual economic value of features in $ ac-1yr-1.

9. Figure 3. Net benefit of “river of grass” including benefits to estuaries. The Everglades River of Grass Northern Expansion (ERNE) configuration provides the estuaries with the greatest ecosystem benefit.

10. Figure 4. The benefit-to-cost ratio of configurations for the total restoration of affected estuaries. *Florida Crystals (FC) has the highest B:C ratio due to the absence of a deep water reservoir, resulting in a low capital and O&M cost. Total Restoration of Estuaries

11. 2010 Summer Intern Conclusions • Constanza et al. synthesis is an analytic tool • “Sticker Benefits” overcome “Sticker Shocks” • Florida Crystals is the best plan for total benefit and cost with B:C > 6:1 (=26:1?) • Everglades River of Grass Northern Expansion (ERNE) has greatest net benefit economically • Benefit is clear & the need is pressing

12. The 2010 Summer Intern Poster Paper was presented at GEER Conference to: • The Honorable Rock Salt, Principle Deputy Secretary of the Army, Civil Works • Greg May, Executive Director, Task Force • SFWMD Governing Board Chair Eric Buermann • I will use these numbers! • Jax/CERP(+) District Engineer Colonel Al Pantano • NRC Peer Review Study Director Stephanie Johnson • Ronnie Best, USGS; Co-Chair, GEER/ACES • And many other principals among 500+ attendees

13. What’s Happened Since GEER Conf? • Oct, 2010: Everglades Foundation sponsored Mather Report released: B:C ~ 4:1 • Oct, 2010: SF Ecosystem Restoration Task Force identifies ESV as an emerging theme • Oct, 2010: Everglades Coalition presents a resolution to the Task Force to push ESV • Oct 2010: TF DRAFT Everglades Progress Report to Congress credits Defenders of Wildlife with ESV work

14. Other ESV Considerations • WWF, TNC has ESV studies on the street • FL Ranchlands Environmental Services Project • NWRA is considering applications • White House Center for Environmental Quality incorporating in current Draft Programs & Guidelines on national water and land resources policy • What else? (TelltheGov@PBPost.com) • NEXT: A Conference on Ecosystem Services (ACES #2), Dec 6-9, 2010, Phoenix, AZ

15. Final Points • Numerous NGO studies and robust B:C ratios > 6:1 indicate viability of Valuing Ecosystem Services for better decision-support, understandable by Office of Management & Budget, Congress and the Public • When ecosystem services are not given a dollar value, the default value is zero (NRC 2005); this places the policy of “no net loss of wetlands” at risk • CERP(+) implementers should adopt the ESV approach and make the Everglades restoration Total Economic Value calculation an example to follow. • Take-Home Assignment: Pester principals to do so!

16. Bottom Line: Environment is the Economy Let’s get to work has to include Let’s get to work on CERP(+) for BIG economic & ecologic benefits, including significant creation of jobs, and the sustainability of the FL economy!!

17. Questions

18. PRIMARY REFERENCES • Costanza, et al, Report on value of the planet’s 18 biomes; GoogleNature 387, or http://www.uvm.edu/giee/publications/Nature_Paper.pdf • Valuing Ecosystem Services – Towards Better Environmental Decision-making, NRC 2005; See http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11139 • For Additional information and more references: • SEE Handout on 2010 Summer Intern approach, etc. • Go to www.ArtMarshall.org • Contact JAMinfo@AOL.com • See: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/letters/return-on-saving-everglades-90-billion-883668.html?cxtype=ynews_rss