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GEcoServ- Gulf of Mexico Ecosystem Services Valuation Database
Goals:
(1) Develop a searchable database available to the public containing studies valuing ecosystem services (ES).
(2) Share information about ES and their monetary value.
GEcoServ contains studies valuing ecosystems relevant to the Gulf of Mexico, such as wetlands, coral reefs, beach/dunes, seagrass, oyster reefs, and marine/open water.
Evaluation of Ecosystem Services of Coastal Habitats in the Gulf of Mexico: Mustang Island
Goals:
(1) Map and Characterize habitats in a barrier island system typical of Gulf coast areas (Mustang Island).
(2) Develop procedures and tools for identifying and assigning ecosystem services (ES) to habitats and apply to a typical barrier-island system.
(3) Develop a scalable and transferable tool for valuing and mapping value of ES.
Gulf of Mexico Ecosystem Services Workshop
On June 16-18th, 2010, the first Gulf wide Ecosystem Services Workshop was held in Bay St. Louis, MS.
Goals:
(1) Gain consensus on approaches, definition, and identification of ecosystem services in the Gulf of Mexico (GoMX) and the steps to be taken toward initiation of a case study.
Workshop Outcomes:
(1) A common definition of ecosystem services (ES) and ES quantification, (2) the identification of coastal ecosystems in the GoMX, and (3) the major services those ecosystems provide in the GoMX.
Next steps:
(1) To present the definitions and/or outcomes from the Workshop to the Alliance Management Team (Gulf of Mexico Alliance) for their consideration and to convene a workshop on ES quantification/valuation approaches. This workshop will focus on existing methods to measure ES monetary and non-monetary value.
Support: NOAA
CAMEO: Building the Foundation- An Integrative Approach to managing the Dewatering of Estuaries
Goals:
(1) Integrate information from experimental, observational, human dimension, and modeling approaches.
(2) Provide science-based information to policy makers and managers.
Socio-Economic Impacts of Sea Level Rise in Galveston Bay
Goal: Assess the socio-economic impact of sea level rise in Galveston bay, Texas
Results: 79,432 and 98,904 displaced people with a 0.69 and 1.5 meters sea level rise respectively.
Ike Storm with 0.69 sea level rise would generate an additional $1.7 billion in damages.
Valuation of Freshwater Inflow in San Antonio Bay and Lower Rio Grande, Texas
Goal: Assess the public’s willingness to pay to protect freshwater water inflow.
Results: Texans were willing to pay:
• $4,155,736 in the SAB region, and
• $9,858,954 in LRGV
Productive Value of the Gulf of Mexico
Goal: Highlight the important role the Gulf of Mexico plays in the economic lives of the United States, Mexico, and Cuba.
Results: Total Productive value of the Gulf of Mexico is $124.01 billion (US$ 2003).
Socio-Economic Impacts of Climate Change in Texas
Texas lags behind most of the country when it comes to addressing climate change.
Goal: Show through the use of case studies focusing on human health, transportation, and green energy the costs of inaction and the benefits of taking action to address climate change.
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