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USGS Science and Decisions Center Projects

Projects

The Center's ongoing projects in support of science for decision making include field studies, cooperative agreements, books, articles, and conferences.

DOI Adaptive Management Applications Guide

In partnership with the DOI Adaptive Management Working Group, SDC staff led development and production of anadaptive management applications guide for DOI, which builds on the DOI Adaptive Management Technical Guide in providing guidance for the application of adaptive management. Together these documents present a framework for adaptive management, a discussion of technical and implementation issues, and examples of adaptive decision making in the themes of water resources, energy, climate change, and the interface between human and natural systems. The applications guide was released in April 2012.

Science for DOI Landscape Conservation Cooperatives

SDC Staff are participating in science projects designed to meet DOI Landscape Conservation Cooperative (LCC) management needs.  Examples include a partnership between the USGS Western Geographic Science Center and SDC staff to model climate and land-use change scenarios for management decision making in the California LCC.  For the Appalachian LCC, SDC staff are participating in planning efforts to design the LCC’s science strategy.

2012 International conference: A Community on Ecosystem Services (ACES) III

SDC Staff are playing a lead role in planning the third international ACES conference on ecosystem services, which is scheduled for December 2012.  SDC staff are participating on the conference organizing committee.

National Academy Of Sciences symposia on sustainability

Center staff are coordinating with the National Academy of Sciences, which will host roundtables on the SDC theme topics of resilience and sustainability.  SDC staff are working with Academy staff and the Packard Foundation to design and organize roundtables that will bring together distinguished scientist from academia, nongovernment organizations, and government agencies to consider how to mainstream the key concepts of resilience and sustainability into management of natural resources by government agencies.

Cooperative agreement with Resources for the Future (RFF) for valuation of ecosystem services

Resources for the Future, a leading nongovernment organization focusing on economics and natural resource management research, is partnering with SDC through a cooperative agreement to coordinate workshops and economic research on innovative methodology for the valuation of ecosystem services.  New methods of valuation are urgently needed to expand the application of ecosystem services concepts to more traditional economic analyses.

Collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service on educational publications

SDC is partnering with the U.S. Forest Service to create special editions of the Natural Inquirer, a publication designed as an educational resource for middle-school students.  An issue devoted to ecosystem services, with content created by SDC staff, has already appeared.  An issue devoted to adaptive management is in production, with content provided by SDC.

Publication of research findings

SDC staff are actively engaged in research and publication in scholarly journals. Numerous publications appeared in 2011. Please see the publications section for a detailed listing.

2008 and 2010 International conferences: ACES I and II

In partnership with the ACES Consortium, SDC staff chaired two international conferences on ecosystem services, ACES 2008 and ACES 2010.   The conferences brought together leading scientists, practitioners and managers with expertise in ecology, economics, geography, law, anthropology, geology, and hydrology.

DOI Adaptive Management Technical Guide

In partnership with the DOI Adaptive Management Working Group, SDC staff helped to produce the DOI Adaptive Management Technical Guide.  Members of SDC served as principal authors of the guide, and oversaw its layout, production and distribution.

Publications

Williams, B.K., and E.D. Brown. 2012.  Adaptive Management: The U.S. Department of the Interior Applications Guide. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior.

Presentations

USGS Science and Decisions Center - Advancing science-based decisions about natural resource management

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Liaison Activities

Advisory Committee, 12th National Conference on Science, Policy, and the Environment, National Council for Science and the Environment, Carl Shapiro and Ken Williams, members.

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Applications in the Field

This page higlights applications now being implemented in the field. These applications are directly connected to thematic concerns of the Center.

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