![[logo] US EPA](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090508064923im_/http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
Basic Information
The ESRP has been recognized as being in a unique position within the federal government for its research to establish and communicate a greater understanding of the value of ecosystem services and their interdependent relationship to human activities and well-being (BOSC 2005, 2007). Scientists conduct core, multi-media research in support of the Agency's Healthy Communities and Ecosystems goal and past results directly support EPA program office needs, and are now used by EPA Regions, states, and Tribes. For example, EPA's Office of Water is requesting that ORD's Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) procedures be used in all 50 states.
Research is providing the foundation for conducting research on ecosystem services. In 2007, the ESRP conducted research on:
Monitoring
The ESRP developed the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) to establish statistically-valid, scientifically defensible monitoring frameworks to measure, assess, and report on the status and trends in ecosystem condition at regional and national scales. EMAP has successfully completed national assessments using this framework and has pioneered research to create landscape atlases that have been widely used in government. The ESRP is transferring technical support for survey monitoring and assessment to EPA Program Offices; essential technical support for these activities will continue through ORD's Water Quality Program.
ESRP will continue to analyze EMAP data and analyses as a starting point for identifying, measuring, mapping, and monitoring ecosystem services. The extensive EMAP database will be invaluable in early testing of hypotheses focusing on landscape-related ecosystem services, such as provisioning and storage of fresh water, regulating nutrients and biogeochemical cycling, and maintaining diverse, resilient terrestrial and aquatic habitat.
Diagnostics and Forecasting
The ESRP is nearing completion on a variety of new methods to diagnose impairments to ecosystems. These include:
The Causal Analysis / Diagnosis Decision Information System (CADDIS) — online decision toolkits to assess regional vulnerability to natural and human stressors in the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, and Midwest
New multi-media models to estimate the time needed for decreased air mercury emissions to result in fish safe for human consumption.
A suite of studies that are developing ways to quantify and forecast thresholds, or tipping points, in aquatic ecosystems. The ESRP will build on its experience in diagnostic and forecasting methods for developing models and spatial techniques to forecast the response of ecosystem services to natural and human stressors at multiple scales and to quantify these responses in biophysical terms. A workshop in June 2007 provided progress reviews of the research.
Restoration
The ESRP has focused its research on restoration of aquatic systems. Scientists are nearing completion of studies that:
Document the effectiveness of riparian buffers on water quality
Document the effectiveness of small wetlands in restoring water quality in agricultural watersheds
Prioritize watersheds for restoration in the Mid-Atlantic highlands
Examine the restoration potential for streams affected by mining
Restore large floodplain rivers to obtain multiple ecosystem services, including innovative use of natural groundwater cooling to treat thermal discharges while simultaneously improving aquatic habitat, non-structural flood control, and recreational opportunities.
For more information: ESRP Poster #9 (PDF) (1 page, 96KB, About PDF)
Future Research and Critical Path
The ESRP's future research is designed to answer multiple questions about ecosystem services. Scientists will develop multiple measures of services, including biophysical and monetary measures, to estimate incremental changes to ecosystem services, as well as suites of “bundled” services associated with land, air, and water systems over explicitly defined spatial and temporal scales. The goal is to inform a wide range of issues related to questions of social choice, with a special focus on informing trade-offs among ecosystem services provided under alternative management and policy decisions.
The ESRP will meet high-priority EPA program office and region needs with direct relevance to EPA's mission. Scientists will address:
- A national-scale pollutant — reactive nitrogen
- A priority ecosystem — wetlands
- Complex ecosystems at community-specific locations
In addition, cross-cutting themes for human health, landscape, inventory design, model development and valuation will be investigated. Each research project and theme is currently being developed into a research and implementation plan that will include a critical path for work to be done.