From the molecular to population risk to ecosystem services: a risk assessment adaptive management approach for the Salish Sea
Presentation Abstract
An ongoing issue in the management of the Salish Sea is the dilemma of how to integrate different scales of information into an adaptive management program to ensure restoration and protection of the resource. Often, we have data on chemical contamination in the environment and exposure to the individual, information on habitat quality, and some general information on population dynamics of a species serving as a vital sign. However, this information is not tied together with a clear and quantitative model describing causality, probability and uncertainty. Furthermore, the goal is not just to preserve that species but to protect human well-being. Human well-being has become part of the lexicon to included ecosystem services endpoints such as a sense of place, education, recreational opportunities, employment, public safety and Tribal treaty rights. In a recent publication (Harris et al. 2017) it was demonstrated that it is possible to estimate risk in a contaminated site to ecological endpoints, human health and ecosystem services using a clearly defined causal pathways and Bayesian networks. Now we are applying the integration of ecological endpoints, ecosystem services and human well-being to the scale of the Salish Sea using specific watershed and coastal regions as models. In this study we are using Skagit, the Nooksack and the Cedar watersheds as case studies. Valerie Chu and Chelsea Mitchell (this session) have described the assessment methodologies and our modeling results for these watersheds. The vital sign is also tied to specific economic ecosystem services, is important to a sense of place, and are valued by the diverse constituencies in the region. We will demonstrate how the Chinook salmon population risk model can be translated as risk to a variety of ecosystem services contributing to human well-being. These outputs then become part of a larger adaptive management program for the system.
Session Title
Modeling the Effects of Pesticides, Toxicants, and Multiple Stressors on the Fish Populations and Ecological Communities of the Salish Sea
Conference Track
SSE3: Fate, Transport, and Toxicity of Chemicals
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2018 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE3-81
Start Date
5-4-2018 11:15 AM
End Date
5-4-2018 11:30 AM
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Ecosystem management--Risk assessment--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Ecological integrity--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
From the molecular to population risk to ecosystem services: a risk assessment adaptive management approach for the Salish Sea
An ongoing issue in the management of the Salish Sea is the dilemma of how to integrate different scales of information into an adaptive management program to ensure restoration and protection of the resource. Often, we have data on chemical contamination in the environment and exposure to the individual, information on habitat quality, and some general information on population dynamics of a species serving as a vital sign. However, this information is not tied together with a clear and quantitative model describing causality, probability and uncertainty. Furthermore, the goal is not just to preserve that species but to protect human well-being. Human well-being has become part of the lexicon to included ecosystem services endpoints such as a sense of place, education, recreational opportunities, employment, public safety and Tribal treaty rights. In a recent publication (Harris et al. 2017) it was demonstrated that it is possible to estimate risk in a contaminated site to ecological endpoints, human health and ecosystem services using a clearly defined causal pathways and Bayesian networks. Now we are applying the integration of ecological endpoints, ecosystem services and human well-being to the scale of the Salish Sea using specific watershed and coastal regions as models. In this study we are using Skagit, the Nooksack and the Cedar watersheds as case studies. Valerie Chu and Chelsea Mitchell (this session) have described the assessment methodologies and our modeling results for these watersheds. The vital sign is also tied to specific economic ecosystem services, is important to a sense of place, and are valued by the diverse constituencies in the region. We will demonstrate how the Chinook salmon population risk model can be translated as risk to a variety of ecosystem services contributing to human well-being. These outputs then become part of a larger adaptive management program for the system.
