Ecosystem Services Identification and Inventory

Dow, The Nature Conservancy, and EcoMetrix Solutions Group

Analyzing land-use changes by quantifying ecosystem services impacts. The Ecosystem Services Identification and Inventory (ESII) tool provides users a greater understanding of the benefits they receive from nature and informs decisions to protect, restore, or monitor specific natural assets. It can advise a broad spectrum of stakeholders (including nonecologists) as they make decisions on various land-use alternatives with corresponding quantified ecosystem services. The tool is a free application available online and as an iPad-based app. With the tool, users first map project sites, defining areas where data collection will occur, and run ecosystem function and service models on these areas. Next, users collect data through an image-driven data sheet. After running the models, users can query the results in several formats, including tabular data, graphic representations of the data, and spatially explicit heat maps. Understanding how various designs impact the ecological performance of a piece of land helps drive adoption of nature-based solutions. As in the project on page 44, Dow has incorporated the ESII tool into its land management strategy.

Mercy Corps’ Transform Project, Watershed Stormwater Analysis, Semarang, Indonesia.

(Photo by Morgan Erhardt, EcoMetrix Solutions Group)

Riparian buffer and bank erosion control analysis, Lake Jackson, Texas.

(Photo by Jen Molnar, The Nature Conservancy)

People of any skill level, from experts to those with limited ecological background and training, can use the ESII Field App to collect site-specific data. It runs on an iPad and includes lots of help to support novice data collectors.

(Image provided by France Guertin, Dow)

ESII tool logo