Planning and Decision-Making Frameworks for Ecosystem Restoration

NASEM Gulf Research Program

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill caused significant environmental, ecological, and economic damage to the Gulf of Mexico region. Since the spill, multiple projects have been funded to restore and conserve the Gulf region’s natural environment. This webinar, organized by the GRP’s Offshore Situation Room planning committee, will focus on the decision-making frameworks and implementation of ecosystem restoration and economic recovery. To learn more about Offshore Situation Room and the webinar series focused on progress made since the Deepwater Horizon, points of strength, and the current state of resilience to offshore oil disasters, please visit our website.

Moderator: Dr. Francis Wiese, Technical Leader for Marine Science, Stantec

Panelists:

• Dr. David Yoskowitz, Senior Executive Director and Endowed Chair for Socio-Economics, Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies. Dr. Yoskowtiz will share a social and economic factors perspective to explore the information needed to conduct the natural capital valuations that inform the restoration decision-making process.
• Dr. Lydia Olander, Director, Ecosystem Services Program, Nichols Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, Duke University. Dr. Olander will share how ecosystem service logic models and standardized socio-economic metrics can be used to monitor social and economic outcomes of Gulf restoration projects and to help restoration programs target projects that will meet their social goals. She will also discuss next steps for bringing this type of monitoring to scale in the Gulf.
• Mr. Carl Ferraro, Senior Environmental Scientist, Stantec. Mr. Ferraro will discuss restoration methodologies and their trade-offs, and explore how ecosystem services and natural capital valuations inform the implementation of restoration projects.
• Dr. Karen Hyun, Vice President, Coastal Conservation, National Audubon Society. Dr. Hyun will discuss ecosystem restoration and the development and implementation of Audubon’s vision for the Gulf.

A recording of this webinar will be posted on our website.

Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/planning-and-decision-making-frameworks-for-ecosystem-restoration-tickets-123509202349