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The Integrated Landscape Modeling partnership - Current status and future directions

Open-File Report 2016-1006
Prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service and Farm Service Agency
By:  and 
https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20161006

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Abstract

The Integrated Landscape Modeling (ILM) partnership is an effort by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to identify, evaluate, and develop models to quantify services derived from ecosystems, with a focus on wetland ecosystems and conservation effects. The ILM partnership uses the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) modeling platform to facilitate regional quantifications of ecosystem services under various scenarios of land-cover change that are representative of differing conservation program and practice implementation scenarios. To date, the ILM InVEST partnership has resulted in capabilities to quantify carbon stores, amphibian habitat, plant-community diversity, and pollination services. Work to include waterfowl and grassland bird habitat quality is in progress. Initial InVEST modeling has been focused on the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of the United States; future efforts might encompass other regions as data availability and knowledge increase as to how functions affecting ecosystem services differ among regions.

The ILM partnership is also developing the capability for field-scale process-based modeling of depressional wetland ecosystems using the Agricultural Policy/Environmental Extender (APEX) model. Progress was made towards the development of techniques to use the APEX model for closed-basin depressional wetlands of the PPR, in addition to the open systems that the model was originally designed to simulate. The ILM partnership has matured to the stage where effects of conservation programs and practices on multiple ecosystem services can now be simulated in selected areas. Future work might include the continued development of modeling capabilities, as well as development and evaluation of differing conservation program and practice scenarios of interest to partner agencies including the USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). When combined, the ecosystem services modeling capabilities of InVEST and the process-based abilities of the APEX model should provide complementary information needed to meet USDA and the Department of the Interior information needs.

Suggested Citation

Mushet, D.M., and Scherff, E.J., 2016, The integrated landscape modeling partnership—Current status and future directions (ver. 1.1, December 2016): U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2016–1006, 59 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ofr20161006.

ISSN: 2331-1258 (online)

Study Area

Table of Contents

  • Acknowledgments
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Background
  • InVEST Modeling
  • APEX Modeling
  • Other Related Modeling
  • Summary
  • References Cited
  • Appendixes 1-8
Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title The Integrated Landscape Modeling partnership - Current status and future directions
Series title Open-File Report
Series number 2016-1006
DOI 10.3133/ofr20161006
Edition Version 1.0: Originally posted January 28, 2016; Version 1.1: December 30, 2016
Year Published 2016
Language English
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Publisher location Reston, VA
Contributing office(s) Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Description 72 p.
Country United States
State Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota
Online Only (Y/N) Y
Additional Online Files (Y/N) N
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
Additional publication details