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The habitat management workshop was organized by HRI's Dr. Paul Montagna, center.
HRI puts on habitat planning workshop
The HRI co-sponsored a workshop on February 18 to help the
Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program (CBBEP) begin planning an
Ecosystem–Based Habitat Management Plan (EHMP). A total of 70 people from
54 local, state and federal resource agencies and non-governmental
agencies participated in the event.
The EHMP will be used to
direct habitat conservation, protection and restoration activities
in the Corpus Christi Bay and Nueces Bay area. It will
facilitate application of fiscal opportunities and resources
associated with coastal development, impact resolution, supplemental
environmental projects, community service projects and grants.
Different from past plans, the EHMP will identify
and prioritize habitats based on the ecosystem services they
provide. Ecosystem services are defined as the benefits provided by
the environment that sustain human health and well being.
The workshop was organized by HRI Endowed Chair
Dr. Paul Montagna and
HRI Postdoctoral Research Associate
Dr. Jorge Brenner. It
began with a presentation on the purpose of the plan by Jace Tunnell of the
CBBEP and another presentation on how ecosystem services will be used in the planning
process by Dr. Brenner. During the workshop, the group tackled four questions:
- Which habitats and ecosystem services should be included?
- Where is the geographic coverage?
- What range of activities should be included?
- How will the plan be supported?
The next step will be to organize what was learned in the workshop into a
report and map. Next year the actual plan will be developed and
presented at another workshop.
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Socio-Economics Group organizes session at ecosystem services conference
The first-ever conference on ecosystem services, defined as
the benefits that humans obtain from nature, took place in Naples,
Florida December 8-11.
A Conference on Ecosystem Services (ACES) was organized
mainly by US
 Geological Survey, Environmental Protection Agency and the University of Florida. ACES objective
was to share information and foster discussion on four main
themes related to ecosystem services science and management: mapping, valuation, drivers of change and decision making.
HRI Endowed Professor Dr. David Yoskowitz, head of
HRI's Socio-Economics Group, was asked to
organize and chair an entire session on the Gulf of Mexico. At the
session, Dr. Jorge Brenner
gave a presentation on how to map ecosystem
services, while Dr. Yoskowitz presented how to value the benefits
provided by the coastal zone.
HRI co-hosts Benthic Ecology Meeting
The HRI co-hosted the 38th Annual Benthic Ecology Meeting at
the Corpus Christi Omni Bayfront March 4-7. About 300 benthic
ecologists (scientists who
 study bottom-dwelling organisms) attended.
Most were from the US, but several traveled from international locations. HRI Endowed Chair
Dr. Paul Montagna
was the Conference Organizing Chair and was
assisted by HRI Postdoctoral Associate Dr. Jennifer Pollack and
HRI Research Specialist Terry Palmer. HRI
staff members Gail Sutton and Allison Knight coordinated logistics.
Many others helped in the planning stages of the event and helped
lead various aspects of it. The Spring 2009 issue of HRI News will
include an in-depth report.
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