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Valuing Ecosystem Services: Research Needs and Diverse Approaches

Valuing Ecosystem Services: Research Needs and Diverse Approaches

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Great Lakes Room (4th Floor) Palmer Commons, 100 Washtenaw Ave, Ann Arbor, MI

 

Event Summary:

Read a summary of the presentations and find additional resources on the topic here: Event Summary (PDF)
 

Event Annoucement:

Please join us for a panel discussion co-hosted by the U-M Water Center and the Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystems Research.

Nature provides society with a wide variety of goods and services that are essential to human health, prosperity, and long-term sustainability.  While it is now widely recognized that ecosystem services need to be accounted for when making management decisions involving natural resources, methods for quantifying these are still in their infancy. 

This seminar will include short presentations that highlight diverse perspectives on how to measure the ecosystem goods and services provided by water resources. A panel discussion will follow about practical information needs and research opportunities.

Brad Cardinale, Professor of Aquatic Ecology, School of Natural Resources and Environment
Brad will outline current conceptual models, scientific approaches and research needs within the emerging study of ecosystem services.

Michael Moore, Professor of Environmental Economics, School of Natural Resources and Environment
Michael will share examples of how he is estimating the economic value of lake water quality and will offer some general advice for researchers and practitioners hoping to integrate the fields of economics and ecology.

Peter Adriaens, Professor, College of Engineering and Ross School of Business
Peter will describe how he is helping companies assess their exposure to water-related risks and explain how risk analysis can be used to demonstrate the value of healthy water resources and promote investments in sustainable practices.

Kathryn Buckner, President, Council of Great Lakes Industries
Kathryn will kick-off the panel discussion with comments on potential opportunities for using an ecosystem services framework with industry partners. For example, could the business case for water stewardship be improved if ecosystem services were better accounted for in cost-benefit analyses?

We hope you will join us for an engaging discussion!