The Value of Final Ecosystem Goods and Services in Restoration Monitoring
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Monitoring and assessment are important aspects of restoration to establish the effectiveness of restoration efforts. Final ecosystem goods and services (FEGS) are the components of the environment directly enjoyed, consumed, or used to yield human well-being. Whereas benefits from nature are often stated as goals for doing restoration (e.g., to increase recreation, flood protection, nature-based education, etc.), measuring progress toward those outcomes is not often included in post-restoration monitoring. Incorporating FEGS into restoration effectiveness monitoring and assessment (REMA)s would be useful for measuring and communicating progress towards meeting the restoration goals from a human benefits perspective. The goal of this presentation is to demonstrate how FEGS concepts and tools can be incorporated into REMA designs, with special considerations for conservation-based restoration, compensatory mitigation, and cleanup and restoration of contaminated sites. Key to this approach is identification of the FEGS that are of priority to those benefiting from a given restoration project, to find or develop metrics to measure changes in these FEGS, and to assess the success of changes in FEGS production. We will introduce two tools useful for this: The National Ecosystem Services Classification System Plus (NESCS Plus) and the FEGS Scoping Tool. Secondly, we will present results of a literature review to assess the extent to which REMA practices have included FEGS. Finally, we will present a generalized methodology that outlines how to incorporate FEGS endpoints and metrics into REMA designs.