Protection Goals, Assessment Endpoints, Ecosystem Services and

Biodiversity

Glenn SuterU.S. Environmental Protection AgencyEFSA Scientific Conference, Milan, Italy

The views expressed in this presentation are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

A Hierarchy

• Goals are set by legislation• Protect the physical, chemical and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters

• Scientific assessments require more specificity• Assessment endpoints

• An entity and attribute• Biotic communities and species composition

• Implemented using measures of effect• A SSD of relevant effects metrics and species

What are Appropriate Assessment Endpoints?

• What is cancer for ecosystems?• EPA/RAF Developed Generic Endpoints for Ecological Risk Assessment• Based on

• legislative goals• Regulatory language • Precedents

• Examples• Extirpation, abundance or production of populations• Area and quality of habitat for threatened or endangered species

Ecosystem Services • Recognized need for ecological assessments to be more relevant to

more people• Effects on conventional attributes of ecological entities can be

translated into changes in provision of ecosystem services• Production functions

• Useful for communicating ecological risks to decision makers and stakeholders

• Translated by economists into benefits• Developing Generic Ecosystem Services Endpoints

• Not yet published-but close• To supplement, not replace ecological endpoints

For More on Ecosystem Services as Assessment Endpoints see:

Munns, WR Jr., AW Rea, GW Suter II, L Martin, L Blake-Hedges, T Crk, C Davis, G Ferreira, S Jordan, M Mahoney and MG Barron. 2015. Ecosystem services as assessment endpoints for ecological risk assessment. Integr. Environ. Assess. Manag. DOI: 10.1002/ieam.1707

The dissolved mineral salts are toxic.

9

Benchmark Calculation – HC05 = 297 µS/cm

Conductivity BenchmarkEffect Level

5th percentile

So What?

• The benchmark is good science• Passed multiple peer reviews

• But a state official asked, “What are mayflies good for?”• At a Superfund site an official asked, “Why should I care about bugs in

the mud?”• And the same sorts of questions must arise with respect to pesticides

in streams that kill aquatic insects.• Ecosystem services provide answers.

Aquatic insects as food for larger animals

• Fish• The most easily converted to monetary benefits

• Amphibians• Birds• Bats• Semi-aquatic mammals

Stream insects perform ecosystem functions

• Nutrient retention• Litter decomposition• Cleaning rocks• Participating in element cycles• Stabilization of stream beds• Stream recovery• Removal of suspended algae and pathogenic microbes

↑ Nutrient Retention

↑ Litter Shredding

↑Forest Production

↑Timber

↑Wildlife Production

↑Recreation & Aesthetics

↑ Lumber & Firewood

↓Aqueous Nutrients

↓Algal Production

↑Dissolved Oxygen

↑ Water Aesthetics

↑ Invertebrates ↑ Fish

Macroinvertebrate Functions

↑ Habitat

↑ Particle Collection ↑ Scraping

↓ Turbidity ↑ Pathogen Removal

↑ Human Health

↑ Stream Aesthetics

Periphyton Biomass

↑Recreation ↑ Food

↑Recreation

↑ Drinking Water Quality

↓Water Treatment

Conceptual Model of Ecosystem Services

Direct human uses• Indicators of water and sediment quality• Recreational fishing• Creeking• Education• Collecting and watching• Photography• Literary images and metaphors• Commercial and recreational symbols• Art and design• Potential physical and chemical products

For more on services of aquatic insects:

Suter, GW II and SM Cormier. 2015. Why care about aquatic insects: uses, benefits and services. Integr. Environ. Assess. Manag. 11: 188-194.DOI: 10.1002/ieam.1600

Summary• Even if you are not performing an economic analysis, ecosystem

services are a useful communication tool• Do not stop with the obvious or economically quantifiable services

• Quantify what you can and describe the rest• Even a mayfly can be a thing of beauty and a joy for ever

The views expressed in this presentation are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Photo copyright by D. Norton