Combining ecosystem services assessment with structured decision making to support ecological restoration planning

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Ecological Restoration
• Decision Analysis

Background:

• Ecosystem services assessment is crucial for environmental decision-making, focusing on social benefits.
• Structured decision-making approaches are increasingly used in ecological restoration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To integrate ecosystem services assessment with structured decision making for evaluating ecological restoration benefits.
• To develop a framework for assessing wetland restoration sites in the Woonasquatucket River watershed.

Main Methods:

• Applied ecosystem services assessment and structured decision-making frameworks.
• Analyzed candidate wetland restoration sites for five ecosystem services.
• Developed 22 benefit indicators, including social equity and reliability.
• Utilized conceptual modeling and spatial analysis for indicator estimation.
• Created a decision support tool for site screening.

Main Results:

• Identified and evaluated numerous wetland restoration sites based on ecosystem service provision.
• Demonstrated that urban restoration sites can yield higher social benefits.
• Quantified potential benefits across flood water retention, scenic landscapes, learning, recreation, and bird habitats.

Conclusions:

• The integrated approach effectively estimates and evaluates the social benefits of ecological restoration.
• Urban wetland restoration sites show significant potential for delivering social benefits.
• The methodology is adaptable for diverse restoration planning and decision-making processes.