Improved Mitigation Frameworks

Phase 1: Crafting General Guidance

Overview

In our first phase we will produce general guidance applicable in all or most settings (ecological community-independent) emphasizing ecological structure, ecological functioning, and ecosystem services (aka values) as a common currency with which we might design or assess a potential out-of-kind, off-site effort.

This Phase is centered on building a robust framework for approaching out-of-kind, off-site mitigation efforts. We see this effort as building each component of a three-tiered approach:

Framework

Overlying Framework for Mitigation Guidance

↳ Key Components/Ecological Themes

↳ Metrics (practical values/common currency measured in situ)

To date we have focused on our Components and Themes. They define our sub-groups. These are:

Phase 1: Initial Sub-Groups

Ecological Structure

Ecological Functioning

Ecosystem Services

Landscape Context

Temporal Trajectory

Workflow

We will be working over the coming months to craft a draft guidance document with each sub-group focusing on their particular Theme, both defining and detailing this element and providing candidate Metrics which might be employed to evaluate how well this particular Theme is bringing some level of equivalency to a given aspect of the coastal ecosystem harmed.

Each sub-group is comprised of mitigation experts who will guide and advise the overall group, overseen by a sub-group lead, and supported by undergraduate research assistants who will do the leg work of tracking down references, supporting documents, assembling data sets, etc. These sub-groups will work throughout Summer 2023 with a goal of having sharable draft documents by late summer.

Timeline

Phase 1 Summer 2023 Timeline

Key Dates

  • June 20, 2023 (1-3pm): Zoom Sub-Group Launch
  • August 1, 2023: Drafts of Sub-Group Themes Documents Due
  • August 7, 2023 (9am-12pm): Zoom Framework Discussion
  • September 1, 2023: Revised Sub-Group Themes Documents Due
  • September 27, 2023 (all day): In-Person CSUCI Boating Center Meeting

Recordings

These are from our May 2023 In-Person Phase 1 Kickoff in Channel Islands Harbor.

Here we run through brief introductions of our Phase 1 collaborators.
A brief overview of our Out-of-kind, Off-site Mitigation Framework Project.
Here we get into the meat of some of our framing context and definitions of various terms and concepts central to out-of-kind, off-site compensatory mitigation.

Phase 1 Report

Our Phase 1 Report is out and can be viewed on our Phase 1 Report Out Page

Phase 1 Report

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