DMP Section Type:
Not Data - non-data Product
Deliverable Type:
Training / Outreach / Workshop : Webinar
Description:
Abstract: The presentation by Dr. Frank Casey of the US Geological Survey will discuss the challenges faced when attempting to value changes in ecosystem services in response to climate/land use change impacts on California rangelands, identify data gaps, but also provide suggestions for near term research opportunities that could assist in addressing gaps in economic data and analysis of selected ecosystem services. The presentation will start with a short introduction to the project funded by the CA LCC and provide a brief overview how an economics conceptual framework and tools can be used to value three ecosystem services that California rangelands provide: carbon sequestration, wildlife habitat, and water flow and quality. The Alameda Creek watershed is selected as a case study example illustrating the challenges and opportunities in valuing changes in these services under two climate/land use change scenarios. Scenario 1 is characterized by low density development, intensive agriculture, low levels of land conservation, and no conservation planning. Scenario 2 is based on high density development, moderate levels of agriculture, high levels of biodiversity conservation, and the protection of about a million acres by the end of the century. Since there are no active private carbon markets for rangeland sequestration, the benefits of sequestration are calculated based on the Social Cost of Carbon. A review is provided of the few and secondary quantitative and qualitative data available for estimating economic impacts on wildlife habitat and water availability. The presentation will conclude with recommendations for an economics research agenda in the near term and suggest specific quantification tools that could be used to estimate values of ecosystem services associated with California range lands in the face of climate change.
