Ecosystem Services

Michael G. Andreu, Melissa H. Friedman, and Rob J. Northrop

FOR-204, a 5-page illustrated fact sheet by Michael G. Andreu, Melissa H. Friedman, and Rob J. Northrop, provides a brief overview and results from an urban ecological assessment conducted in the city of Tampa from February to July 2007. Includes references. Published by the UF School of Forest Resources and Conservation, January 2009.

Melissa M. Kreye, Elizabeth Pienaar, and Raoul K. Boughton

Jose Dubeux, Jr., Lynn Sollenberger, Mark Mauldin, and Liza Garcia

Taylor V. Stein, Namyun Kil, Alexis Frank, Francisco J. Escobedo, Alison E. Adams, Damian C. Adams, andFrancisco J. Escobedo

This document is FOR312, one of a series of the School of Forest Resources and Conservation Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date July 2013.

Charles Wallace, Anna Braswell, Mysha Clarke, Andrew Ropicki, Tara Wade, Frank Asche, Ashley Smyth, Armando Ubeda, and Ed Camp

This publication describes some of the ways to measure ecosystem services and explains how the different approaches to assess ecosystems might be selected, depending on what is most important to the user.

Ashley Smyth, Laura K. Reynolds, Savanna Barry, Natalie C. Stephens, Joshua T. Patterson, andEdward V. Camp

The purpose of this new 6-page document is to explain the types of ecosystem services provided by different types of living shorelines and how to quantify these values. The target audience for this document is local governments and municipalities that make decisions about developing, conserving, and restoring living shorelines; state management agencies that oversee broader scale habitat management; and finally, homeowners who will be immediately affected by any of these decisions. Written by Ashley R. Smyth, Laura K. Reynolds, Savanna C. Barry, Natalie C. Stephens, Joshua T. Patterson, and Edward V. Camp and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences.

Ashley Smyth, Lei Wu, Rafael Muñoz-Carpena, andYuncong Li

This fact sheet provides information on buffers' multiple ecosystem benefits, such as niche products production, carbon sequestration, and flood risk mitigation, as well as recommendations on future research needs necessary to enhance multiple ecosystem services and benefits of buffers.

Natalia D. Medina-Irizarry and Michael G. Andreu

Mangroves provide quintessential ecosystem services in Florida, where there are three native mangrove species: red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle), black mangrove (Avicennia germinans), and white mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa). Mangroves extend from the Florida Keys up to peninsular Florida along the coastlines.They are often removed or trimmed to capitalize on coastal views valued by residents and visitors. To protect mangroves and the ecosystem services they provide, the 1996 Mangrove Trimming and Preservation Act provides management guidance. A literature review about trimming mangroves uncovered that not all species remain healthy after trimming. To minimize the negative impacts of trimming, landowners should carefully consider the amount of biomass removed, trimming frequency and timing, and best trimming techniques for the mangrove species they are managing.

Rose Godfrey, Christopher M. Demers, Francisco J. Escobedo, Francisco J. Escobedo, Damian C. Adams, andMichael G. Andreu

A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet. in support of UF/IFAS Extension program: Animal Systems

Youmin Li, Weizhe Weng, Jared Gars, Michael T. Olexa, and Suzanne Thornsbury

Ecosystem services are the direct and indirect benefits that ecosystems provide humans. Florida is known for its diverse landscape, which includes valuable ecosystem services such as water storage, soil conservation, and biodiversity. A Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) policy approach aligns economic incentives with environmental goals, encouraging landowners to participate in conservation while potentially reducing cost of land use. This publication is the first article of a series titled Payments for Ecosystem Services in Florida’s Landscape. It introduces the concept of PES and is intended for Extension agents, government decision-makers, landowners, and researchers to help them understand the concepts and principles underlying PES programs and how they contribute to both previous and ongoing conservation efforts in Florida.

Melissa M. Kreye, Francisco J. Escobedo, Damian C. Adams, Taylor Stein, and Tatiana Borisova

How much are Floridians willing to pay for water quality protection programs that include forest conservation? This 9-page fact sheet reports the results of a study to answer this question, using a benefit transfer approach.

Ashley Smyth, Laura K. Reynolds, Savanna Barry, Natalie C. Stephens, Joshua T. Patterson, andEdward V. Camp

Living shorelines are an increasingly popular way to protect and stabilize waterfronts for coastal property owners. Living shorelines provide valuable benefits to humans, including water quality improvement, habitat, fisheries, and carbon sequestration. Estimating the economic value of the ecosystem services living shorelines offer is an integral part of management decisions. The living shoreline valuation tool can help quantify the costs and benefits of living shorelines projects. This publication briefly describes the ecosystem services associated with living shorelines. The purpose of this publication is to introduce the ecosystem service valuation tool. Our target audience for the living shoreline evaluation tool includes natural resource extension agents, community organizations, and coastal homeowners who want to calculate the value of ecosystem services provided by coastal restoration projects, including living shorelines. 

Francisco Escobedo, Joy Klein, Micah Pace, Henry Mayer, Sebastian Varela, and Basil Iannone

A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet.