Sponsored by: The Patuxent River Commission and
The University of Maryland Institute for Ecological Economics
Date & Time: March 31, 1998,
9:30 - 12:00 AM Model Overview and Management Issues
1:30 - 3:30 PM Model Details and Q & A
Location: Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Visitor Center Conference Room
Directions attached.
Goals:
Who should attend: Those with an interest in resource management
within the Patuxent and who have ideas for policy choices such
as zoning policies, nutrient management practices, etc. The first
session is primarily for those involved with management and
policy issues. The second session is geared towards those
interested in the specifics of the model.
Background: A research group at the University of Maryland
Institute for Ecological Economics, headed by Dr. Robert Costanza,
has been developing an ecological model to evaluate the effects
of land use and management on ecosystem processes. A companion
economic model has been developed by Dr. Nancy Bockstael and associates
at the University of Maryland, Agricultural and Resource Economics
Department to evaluate the likely patterns of land development
based on land use policies and landscape features. The land development
patterns predicted by the economic model are used to drive land
use change in the ecological model, so that impacts to nutrient
flows, flooding, erosion, plant and animal habitat and other ecological
indicators can be evaluated. In turn, the model can be used to
show how ecological effects can influence land values and development
patterns.
The model has been tested for the Patuxent River Watershed and
its developers are preparing to evaluate scenarios of future changes
in land use and management within the watershed.
The workshop on March 31, will be broken into two parts. The
morning session will begin at 9:30 with a model introduction and
description of its capabilities before we open up discussion of
policy options for further evaluation within the ecological economic
model. The afternoon session will begin at 1:30 PM and cover
further details of model function and its components.
We hope you can join in this opportunity for collaborative research.
If you plan on attending, please return the enclosed registration
form by March 18. For further information about the model, see
the enclosed description and our web site: http://kabir.cbl.umces.edu/PLM
Further questions about the model or workshop should be directed to:
Lisa Wainger
Patuxent Project Manager
Institute for Ecological Economics
P.O. Box 38
Solomons, MD 20688
wainger@cbl.umces.edu
(410) 326-7365