Ecosystem Services Conceptual Model Application: Testing General Model Adaptability

This case study, a companion to Ecosystem Services Conceptual Model Application: NOAA and NERRS Salt Marsh Habitat Restoration summarizes initial efforts to apply a general salt marsh ecosystem services conceptual model to specific sites. The case study proposes that developing a set of reference ecosystem services conceptual models for a constrained set of common management interventions would increase the efficiency and consistency of incorporation of ecosystem services in decision-making contexts. The case study discusses efforts to test whether a generalized model can be adapted to specific sites. It describes three cases: a retrospective case, a prospective case, and a quantitative case. Integrated in these studies is a discussion of the considerations that arise and revisions that should be made to a general model applied to a particular site.