Ecosystem Services Mapping Methods and Student Project Opportunity

Researchers associated with the Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center (CASC) from the Nicholas Institute, Lydia Olander and Katie Warnell, will give an introductory webinar on GIS methods used to map ecosystem services, including climate and resilience benefits of natural and working lands. Olander and Warnell will also introduce a student project opportunity to use or expand upon these methods.

Register in advance for this webinar at the link above. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

About the Webinar

The webinar will provide an overview of the datasets, methods, and possible applications. Olander and Warnell will share how existing maps have been applied to support government agencies and processes in North Carolina as examples of what could be done in other states, as well as some examples of gaps that could potentially be filled with new mapping methods.

With CASC support, the Duke team developed several datasets that map supply and demand for specific ecosystem services, such as pollinator habitat for the southeastern United States. In addition, the team developed ecosystem services maps and methods for climate and resilience opportunities from natural and working lands in North Carolina that were used in a report and Story Map as part of the North Carolina Climate Risk Assessment and Resilience Plan. Below is a summary of the available maps and the geography they cover and the methods (that can be applied anywhere). The intent is to build on these existing datasets to develop additional ecosystem services mapping projects with decision makers or resource managers across the SE region. 

Two webinars will be provided in support of this work: one on the ecosystem services maps and methods (this webinar) and the second on developing Story Maps as a communication product from the work. Olander and Warnell will also provide up to two (1-hour) office hour sessions to help with the technical aspects of adapting the maps and methods or extending them for student projects. Funded projects need to be completed by June 2021, but all projects may continue after.

Apply to Develop a Project

Students who would like to develop a project using these data or methods and would like to join the offered technical office hour sessions should send a one-page statement of interest of your proposed project idea or area of interest to lydia.olander@duke.edu. The statement should describe how the project idea fits with your current coursework or external projects or partnerships, and whether you would need funding, would like to do this for credit, or are planning to do it for coursework. The application is due by COB on August 31.

The Duke team is looking for projects that can utilize, adapt, or extend an existing set of maps and methods developed for landscape-scale consideration of ecosystem services including resilience and the build user-friendly tools for applying them. Some criteria that will be considered in the selection of projects are:

• Will the project be co-produced with government agencies, land trusts, NGOs, or other community groups?
• Does the project use the maps or methods developed by Duke or build on them?
• Could the project inform the maps or methods developed by Duke?
• Is the analysis at a broad, landscape scale?
• How many ecosystem services are included in the analysis/assessment/methodology? OR Is the method adding a new ecosystem service or resilience opportunity?
• How feasible is the project?

The geography covered is either SE (for the 10-state southeastern region covered by the CASC) or NC (for North Carolina).

These new datasets have been used along with many existing datasets, for example: 

• Social vulnerability index
• Natural heritage species maps and key biodiversity areas
• Land ownership type
• Existing protected areas
• Dasymetric population
• State water quality ratings
• TNC Resilient Coastal Sites