SSI in action
ECO Education
Each and every day natural habitats protect and promote human well being—yet few of us are aware of it. Wetlands, for example, purify our water and protect against flood damage. Forests help moderate local, regional, and even global climate. Insects and other creatures pollinate crops, helping to put food on our tables. These "ecosystem services" are an important part of the natural foundation that sustains human life. Human activities threaten many of the natural systems and the species within them that provide us with these services. Air and water pollution, deforestation, urban sprawl, and other land use changes are destroying and damaging ecosystems throughout the world. As a result, many are losing their ability to provide us with these much needed services. In the face of this damage, it is disturbing that few people recognize our dependence on natural systems. Ignorance of their importance is one of the main reasons markets and public policies fail to capture the value of the services they provide to society. That is why UCS joined forces with the Ecological Society of America (ESA) to raise public awareness about the key services that ecosystems provide. "When we make the connection between our everyday lives and the natural services we depend on, like clean drinking water," says Nancy Cole, deputy director of UCS's Global Environment Program, "we're more likely to protect our forests and wetlands." UCS and ESA are encouraging scientists to take an active role in teaching people and policymakers in their communities about the importance of nature's services. "The science behind ecosystem services helps to illustrate how peoples' behaviors directly affect the things they care about such as clean water and air," says Cole. "Scientists can explain these concepts clearly, and their voices carry a lot of weight with the media, policymakers, and the public." To help scientists talk effectively about these issues, UCS and ESA staff designed a series of easy-to-use tool kits. Each includes scientific background on a specific ecosystem service, tips for talking with various audiences, fact sheets to hand out, and other presentation aids. Two tool kits, focusing on water purification and pollination, are now complete. Two more, on forest carbon storage and flood damage control, will be available this summer. Since their release, over 250 scientists from UCS's Sound Science Initiative (SSI) and ESA have received and are using the tool kits. SSI member Sara Simonson, for example, incorporated parts of the pollination tool kit into butterfly tours at last summer's Crested Butte Wildflower Festival. "As we searched for butterflies and other pollinators, I brought up examples and shared stories from the tool kits," says Simonson. "I really enjoyed drawing people's attention to the importance of pollination to their own lives, especially those who had not thought about it before." At least one person was even compelled to take action. Not long after the festival, an organic farmer from one of the tours sent Simonson an email letting her know that he was getting involved with strengthening local pesticide regulations. "That means a lot to me," she said. The pollination tool kit has proven useful to Simonson in other ways as well. She is currently assessing the status of plants and animals in the region for Colorado State University's Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory. Last fall, she presented some preliminary findings on the impact of invasive plant species on native plants and pollinators in Rocky Mountain National Park, generating significant media interest. "The press didn't need to know about all the details of the rigorous research we were planning; instead, reporters wanted general stories about pollinators. The tool kit proved valuable in providing that information, and the media tips helped me to simplify and stay on my main message." What You Can Do
You can do many things in your community -- and even in your own backyard -- to protect and enhance the services provided by natural ecosystems. - Create a pollinator-friendly garden, with bird houses, bee boards, or bat boxes
- Encourage the planting of native flowers in community and workplace open spaces
- Volunteer to clean and monitor a waterway
- Attend community meetings that deal with development issues
- Support parks and other natural areas
- Avoid overtreating your lawn with fertilizer and pesticides
- Dispose of pesticides, herbicides, and automobile fluids properly
- Let your local, state, and national representatives know that you want to see the natural habitats that provide these crucial services protected
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Harry Campbell, a watershed
specialist with the Huron River Watershed Council in Michigan—and an SSI member—found that the water purification tool kit helped him convince local and county representatives of the important role that wetlands play in purifying water. "The packets are great as an educational tool for the public and government officials—and for engineers," he told UCS. "This resource helped frame my watershed planning efforts by providing my listeners with basic knowledge about wetlands and the importance of water quality protection." Campbell admitted he has a tendency to present information using technical and scientific language, which is "often not the best approach with the public." By following the tool kit's communication tips, he has been able to make his messages more accessible. As he prepares to teach ecologically sensitive site-design practices in a forum for engineers, architects, planners, and landscape architects, he expects the tool kit's information and its hand-outs on water purification will be useful, "especially when it comes to framing the take-home messages," he says. Campbell also found the pollination tool kit useful, "as it emphasized things I usually don't spend time considering." As a result, his watershed working group discussed the importance of integrated pest management and expanding native landscaping activities. "Promoting both are now part of the objectives of our watershed plan," he says. At the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania, Ann Rhoads, another SSI member, uses the tool kits in her frequent presentations on local conservation planning. "The
challenge," she says, "is to convince people that not all green areas are created equal." She's found the tool
kits helpful in making it clear that "a city park or a golf course, although 'green,' does not provide the services that a forested area or wetland would." Rhoads is currently working on a strategic plan for biodiversity conservation throughout Pennsylvania. "Both kits will be very useful, and I plan to hand out the fact sheets," she says. "I will be working to ensure that protected areas are large enough so that the ecosystems will continue to function and provide the services that communities need." These are just a few examples of the creative and effective ways SSI scientists are using the tool kits. "From teacher workshops and museum displays to garden nurseries and inner-city schools," says Cole, "scientists are working on the ground level, forging citizen-scientist partnerships and communicating the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems. Raising public awareness with the goal of protecting our country's vital biological resources is an uphill battle, but this is a great start."
This article originally appeared in the Spring 2001 Nucleus, UCS' quarterly magazine. Jeff Deyette was formerly UCS's SSI intern and is now the Clean Energy Program assistant. Lisa Sorenson is UCS's SSI outreach specialist. If you have received a copy of the Communicating Ecosystem Services Tool Kits, please drop us a note at ssi@ucsusa.org and let us know what activites you have done with the toll kits. |
