Federal Resource Management and Ecosystem Services Guidebook

The Federal Resource Management and Ecosystem Services (FRMES) Guidebook for federal resource managers will launch at the A Community on Ecosystem Services conference December 8-11. Two special sessions have been accepted that focus on guidebook content: "Building the Data Infrastructure to Support Nationwide Ecosystem Services Assessments" and "Integrating Ecosystem Services into Federal Resource Management and Planning." 

A pre-conference workshop will also be conducted on "Methods for Incorporating Ecosystem Services into Planning and Management Decisions."

Working Group Discusses Social Benefits of Ecosystem Services 

Last month, FRMES held its final social science-oriented technical working group workshop at the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC). Experts in economics, anthropology, geography, and ecology explored methods for describing or quantifying the social benefits of ecosystem services, refined guiding principles for integrating ecological and social analyses, and began authoring a white paper synthesizing the "state-of-the-data" for widespread U.S. use of ecosystem services assessments. 

Seeking 'Gray Literature' on Contribution of Forest Ecosystem Services to Food Production. Forest News, February 27, 2014.   

 Sweden Sets New Targets to Enhance Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services. Shanghai Daily, March 5, 2014.   

Rainforests and "Ecosystem Services" from Standing Timber. Jefferson Public Radio, March 10, 2014.   

Dow, Coke, Puma, Barrick Gold, Rio Tinto: More Companies Explore Ecosystem Services Says, BSR. JustMeans, March 16, 2014.      

Research Reveals True Value of Cover Crops to Farmers, Environment. Penn State News, March 18, 2014.   

From Brazil to Botswana, Nations Dig into Ecosystem Services. GreenBiz, March 19, 2014.   

Next Big Idea in Forest Conservation? Quantifying the Coast of Forest Degredation. Mongabay, March 27, 2014.

Conathan, M., J. Buchanan, and S. Polefka. 2014. The Economic Case for Restoring Coastal Ecosystems. Center for American Progress and Oxfam America Report.

Mitigation Opportunities for California Agriculture. A Series of Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, Duke University, reports.

Niemela, J. 2014. Ecology of Urban Green Spaces: The Way Forward in Answering Major Research Questions. Landscape and Urban Planning 125: 298-303.

Olander, L., T. Walter, P. Vadas, J. Heffernan, E. Kebreab, M. Ribaudo, and T. Harter. 2014. Refining Models for Quantifying the Water Quality Benefits of Improved Animal Management for Use in Water Quality Trading. Nicholas Institute Report, NI R 14-03.

Schmidt, J.P., R. Moore, and A. Merryl. 2014. Integrating Ecosystem Services and Local Government Finances into Land Use Planning: A Case Study from Coastal Georgia. Landscape and Urban Planning 122: 56-67.

Special Issue: Ecosystem Services in Urban Landscapes: Practical Applications and Governance Implications. AMBIO. 43.

Veghaus, S., and K. Selbmann. 2014. Biofuel as Social Fuel: Introducting Socio-Environmental Services as a Means to Reduce Global Inequality. Ecological Economics 97:84-92.

Wu, J. 2014. Urban Ecology and Sustainability: The State-of-the-Science and Future Directions. Landscape and Urban Planning 125: 209-221.

May 29-30. Ecosystems, Economy and Society: "How Large-Scale Restoration can Stimulate Sustainable Development, Washington, D.C.

June 3-4. To No Net Loss of Biodiversity and Beyond, London, England.

August 3-8. Restoration, Ecosystem Services, and Land Use Policy, Oulu, Finland.

September 8-12. 7th Annual ESP Conference, San Jose, Costa Rica.

December 8-11. A Community on Ecosystem Services: Linking Science, Practice and Decision Making, Washington, D.C.

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NESP is an initiative of the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions at Duke University. Visit the NESP Digest on the web. To subscribe to the NESP Digest, click here . To unsubscribe, click here. 

NESP also maintains a listserv to help foster communication in the ecosystem services community. The address for this list is nesp-community@duke.edu. Please feel free to use this list to discuss ecosystem services issues or to exchange information about new papers, jobs, or grant opportunities.