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Whole Watershed Health and Restoration: Applying the Patuxent and Gwynns Falls Landscape Models to Designing a Sustainable Balance Between Humans and the Rest of Nature

EPA Grant Number: R827169
Title: Whole Watershed Health and Restoration: Applying the Patuxent and Gwynns Falls Landscape Models to Designing a Sustainable Balance Between Humans and the Rest of Nature
Investigators: Costanza, Robert , Boumans, Roelof , Maxwell, Thomas , Villa, Ferdinando , Voinov, Alexey , Wainger, Lisa
Institution: University of Maryland
EPA Project Officer: Stelz, Bill
Project Period: March 1, 1999 through February 28, 2001
Project Amount: $699,916
RFA: Water and Watersheds (1998)
Research Category: Water and Watersheds

Description:

As part of an EPA/NSF funded project we have developed an integrated, spatially-explicit model of the Patuxent watershed, MD. We are also expanding and applying this model to the Gwynns Falls watershed in urban Baltimore as part of the NSF funded Baltimore Urban LTER project. These models and their associated data bases give us a unique capability to test various policy scenarios and ecosystem restoration options at the whole watershed scale, for both a largely rural/suburban watershed (the Patuxent) and a largely urban/commercial watershed (Gwynns Falls).

  • Further develop and test the Patuxent Landscape Model (PLM) as a tool for whole watershed analysis and restoration, specifically:
    a. further develop and test the socioeconomic sectors and their dynamic links to the ecological sectors.
    b. apply the approach to the Gwynns Falls watershed and intercompare with the Patuxent.
    c. perform detailed scenario analyses including a range of spatial pattern, management, policy, and climate options.
  • Develop (with broad stakeholder participation) and test methods to assess the ecological health of ecosystems and watersheds.
  • Develop preferred future states for the watersheds using the results of 1 and 2 above and broad stakeholder participation.
  • Based on the above, test the degree to which various management policies can restore the ecological health of the Patuxent and Gwynns Fallswatersheds and achieve the preferred future states.

    • Approach:

    In this project, we will:
    1. Define and test ecosystem health indicators for watersheds - using a mediated workshop process to integrate science-based indices and stakeholder-based preferences.
    2. Explore alternative scenarios using the integrated Patuxent Landscape Model (PLM) and the Gwynns Falls Landscape Model (GFLM).
    3. Use a Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) approach to formally analyze the scenarios and their trade-offs.
    4. Use a web-based interactive framework to extend the discussions to the larger stakeholder community. This will occur at all stages, including the definition of ecosystem health, the selection and analysis of scenarios, the application of the MCDA analysis, and the implementation of management policies.

    Expected Results:

    The proposed research will increase capabilities in several areas critical to watershed-based management and ecological restoration, including:
    1. Development of useful and workable indicators and the ability to assess the ecological health of whole watersheds.
    2. Development of the ability to assess the relative effects of various spatially explicit policy and management options on ecosystem health at the whole watershed scale. This is critical to developing the ability to address non-point sources of nutrients and other pollutants.
    3. Development of the ability to design effective whole watershed restoration strategies.

    Publications and Presentations:

    Publications have been submitted on this project: View all 26 publications for this project

    Journal Articles:

    Journal Articles have been submitted on this project: View all 12 journal articles for this project

    Supplemental Keywords:

    Mid-Atlantic, Maryland, MD. , Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Water, Geographic Area, Scientific Discipline, RFA, Ecosystem/Assessment/Indicators, Water & Watershed, Restoration, Social Science, Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration, Nutrients, Mid-Atlantic, Watersheds, Ecological Effects - Environmental Exposure & Risk, Ecosystem Protection, Monitoring/Modeling, Economics and Business, Urban and Regional Planning, State, stakeholder feedback, water quality, Maryland (MD), aquatic ecosystem, environmental rehabilitation, non-point sources of nutrients, watershed modeling, alternative urbanization scenarios, socioeconomics, watershed restoration, nutrient sensitive ecosystems, ecology assessment models, ecosystem health, landscape characterization, multi-criteria decision analysis, socioeconomic, sustainable development, intergrated watershed model, land use, non-point source pollution, ecological recovery, stakeholder groups, ecosystem restoration, urban landscapes, suburban watersheds, web site development, ecological exposure, Gwynns Falls, aquatic ecosystems, integrated assessment, nutrient transport, community involvement, nutrient loading, watershed sustainablity, Patuxent River watershed, ecosystem, non-point sources, environmentally stable landscape, biodiversity, ecological effects, urban watershed rehabilitation method
    Relevant Websites:

    http://iee.umces.edu/PLM
    http://baltimore.umbc.edu/lter

    Progress and Final Reports:
    1999 Progress Report
    Final Report

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    The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.

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