The balmoral group team proposes to conduct a series of workshops in gulf coast states to advance the use of earth observations for valuing ecosystem services and to define practical means to…

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Shared Services Center awarded a $156,808.79 grant to The Balmoral Group LLC, a woman-owned small business, to conduct a series of workshops in Gulf Coast states. The purpose of the workshops is to advance the use of earth observations for valuing ecosystem services and to define practical means to incorporate these values into resource planning and decision-making in the coastal environment. The workshops will engage public and private sector stakeholders with the common goal of improving the resilience of coastal infrastructure and natural systems. This grant is not associated with a set-aside program.

The balmoral group team proposes to conduct a series of workshops in gulf coast states to advance the use of earth observations for valuing ecosystem services and to define practical means to incorporate these values into resource planning and decision making in the coastal environment. Partners in the workshops will include public and private sector stakeholders that have the common goal of improving the resilience of coastal infrastructure and natural systems. Coastal green infrastructure (CGI), which includes (constructed) living shorelines and natural barrier islands, dunes, shellfish beds, and coastal wetlands, has been identified generally as having significant potential to improve community resilience against storms and sea level rise, rebuild coastal ecosystems and increase the ecological benefits and services that contribute to coastal economies. However, specific economic measures of such benefits are either lacking or are insufficiently quantified to provide practical information to decision makers, particularly where such ecological services compete for weight or consideration against more broadly understood goods and services recognized by markets and the various economic measures historically used by decision makers. As a primary and practical example, CGI will be explored with workshop participants to illustrate how earth observations can be used to assist with ecosystem service valuation.