Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades The Ninth Biennial Review - 2022 (2023) / Chapter Skim
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6 Science Plan to Support Restoration of the South Florida Ecosystem
6 Science Plan to Support Restoration of the South Florida Ecosystem
Pages 211-236
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From page 211... ...
The Everglades restoration science enterprise, including work by local, state, and federal agencies; academia; Tribal nations; and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) , has made tremendous advances over the past two decades.
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From page 212... ...
THE NEED FOR A SCIENCE PLAN The accelerating pace of restoration decision making, as more projects come on line and the South Florida ecosystem responds to changes in water manage ment, increases demands for science support. These demands include, but are not limited to, the synthesis and analysis of monitoring data, identification of critical knowledge gaps and how to address them, and refinement of models.
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From page 213... ...
Rather, it identifies science actions that are recognized as multi-group priorities and are feasible to implement and perform -- gathering and coordinating scientists, managers, and policymakers around a common set of priorities no single organization has the capacity to address on its own. The committee envisions a consolidated list of high-priority science actions, including model development, targeted data collection, data analysis, and research and synthesis, that along with routine monitoring will support the restoration of the South Florida ecosystem and the array of agencies and other entities working toward that goal.
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From page 214... ...
The workshops are topic focused and may not identify more integrative needs, but the resulting recommendations should be relevant to the CERP and can be integrated into the Everglades Restoration Science Plan. In addition, coordinated science plans already exist for some specific com ponents of the restoration, although they do not address systemwide science needs.
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From page 215... ...
ENGAGING THE SOUTH FLORIDA RESTORATION SCIENCE ENTERPRISE Many different organizations contribute to the science that underpins the restoration of the South Florida ecosystem. Here the committee considers the South Florida restoration science enterprise to include local, state, and federal agencies; Tribal nations; academia; nonprofits; and private-sector organizations that have scientific capacity and the ability to contribute financial resources, skills and expertise, facilities, and/or other resources to undertake scientific activities.
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From page 216... ...
3. Advancement of essential science actions: the identification of specific science actions that serve to guide multiagency work plans and funding decisions.
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From page 217... ...
In 2008 the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force (Task Force) , assisted by the SCG, identified strategic level science priorities and systemwide assessments for restoration success, but the resulting document has not been updated since 2010.
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From page 218... ...
Thus, science needs are not only assembled but also curated into a succinct representation of critical uncertainties associated with key management questions -- defined as those uncertainties that, if resolved, could change the management course of action. Once knowledge gaps that are critical to decision making are identified, additional information can help to prioritize and sequence actions across a huge array of potential needs, such as • scale of risk/vulnerability being addressed; • number of restoration projects impacted; • timing of implementation (i.e., when is the science needed)
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From page 219... ...
The Science Action Agenda establishes focused science actions to fill these knowledge gaps and serves as a common agenda from which agencies and programs can develop more detailed, shorter-term work plans. The Delta Science Plan establishes mechanisms for the development of science in support of the Delta Plan and a shared framework for science coordination and communication.
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From page 220... ...
Priority Ecosystems Program, National Park Service (NPS) South Florida Natural Resources Center (SFNRC)
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From page 221... ...
The more ties an organization or venue has, the more centrally located it is in the diagram. NOTES: BayInstitute = The Bay Institute; CalEPA = California Environmental Protection Agency; CAWQMC = California Water Quality Monitoring Council; CCWD = Contra Costa Water District; CDFA = California Department of Food and Agriculture; CSAMP/CAMT = Collaborative Science and Adaptive Management Program/ Collaborative Adaptive Management Team; CVCWA = Central Valley Clean Water Association; CWEMF = California Water and Environmental Modeling Forum; Delta RMP = Delta Regional Monitoring Program; DeltaConservancy = Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy; DFW = Department of Fish and Wildlife; continued
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From page 222... ...
SOURCE: DSC, 2019. BOX 6-4 Example Organizational Scheme of the Science Enterprise: Chesapeake Bay Program Within the Chesapeake Bay Program's science enterprise, there is a clear hierarchical structure for managing and provisioning science.
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From page 223... ...
SOURCE: Chesapeake Bay Program, 2015. Key Organizations in the Everglades Science Enterprise RECOVER.
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From page 224... ...
However, RECOVER's focus is limited to the CERP. Thus, its science needs must be integrated with those identified by others to arrive at a far-reaching Everglades Restoration Science Plan.3 2 This paragraph was edited following release of the prepublication report to clarify reporting requirements.
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From page 225... ...
The SCG operates under the South Florida Eco system Restoration Task Force, an intergovernmental body charged with coordi nating restoration activities in South Florida, beyond the boundaries of the CERP. Current SCG membership is diverse and includes an array of city, state, and federal agencies; Tribal nations; and a university scientist.4 The SCG's specific duties, as outlined in its charter, are "to support the Task Force in its efforts to coordinate the scientific aspects of policies, strategies, plans, programs, projects, activities, and priorities … and to coordinate scientific and other research associated with the restoration of the South Florida ecosystem…." Specifically, the SCG is tasked to develop a "draft science coordination plan that tracks and coordi nates programmatic-level science and other research, identifies programmatic level priority science needs and gaps, and facilitates management decisions," for approval by the Task Force, as well as to assist with required reporting activities and other support as requested (SCG, 2003)
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From page 226... ...
. Within the Everglades restoration science enterprise, the IMC houses the greatest share of modeling capacity, including primary capacity to run the systemwide and regional models (e.g., Regional Simulation Model [RSM]
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From page 227... ...
The SFNRC supports applied science, monitoring, restoration assessments, and management for the South Florida units of the NPS. It also supports a science staff of NPS hydrologists, ecologists, biologists, and modelers and also funds competitive research proposals from academic and NGOs through its Critical Ecosystems Studies Initiative, which has a budget of approximately $4 million per year.
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From page 228... ...
Other large ecosystem restoration programs have invested substan tial energy in the structures and mechanisms for organization and coordination, which would reduce the risk of major disruptions from staff turnover and ensure that the needs of all stakeholders are represented. As implementation proceeds, learning will accelerate and more structured processes for science coordination will be needed to support restoration efforts.
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From page 229... ...
, and the appropriate resources to learn at those levels do not appear to be in place. The preparation of an Everglades Restoration Science Plan should be under the auspices of a group that can focus on long-term goals across CERP and nonCERP efforts, evaluate prior success and failure in science support of restoration decision making, and, if needed, identify reforms to the existing science enter BOX 6-5 Levels of Learning and General Definitions Adaptive management requires an environment that promotes intentional learning, and the type of learning may differ when applied at different levels of the restoration governance structure (Pahl-Wostl, 2009)
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From page 230... ...
to develop a "draft science coordination plan that tracks and coordinates programmatic-level science and other research, identifies programmatic level priority science needs and gaps, and facilitates management decisions." A major revision to this plan is warranted as the science enterprise shifts to meet its new challenges -- presenting an opportunity to prioritize science, monitoring, modeling, and synthesis invest ments at the federal, state, and local levels. The SCG could initiate the revision in several ways, including by standing up an ad hoc committee to develop a draft plan or by assigning a contractor to take the lead.
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From page 231... ...
Although the lack of alignment of accounting systems across agencies makes overall assessment of spending an approximation at best, such an assessment for science currently supporting South Florida restoration can provide a better sense of where changes may be needed. 7 Several types of science activities are defined in the Delta science enterprise: core monitoring, status and trends monitoring, synthesis, targeted foundational research, and targeted immediate research (DSC, 2022b)
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From page 232... ...
Competitive processes can help to ensure that all inter ested and capable parties are provided an opportunity to conduct work identified in the science plan and are routinely used by organizations such as Sea Grant to develop management-relevant research. The Florida RESTORE Act Centers of Excellence Program awards grants via a competitive, peer-reviewed process to support sustainable Gulf Coast Region ecosystem goods and services, including
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From page 233... ...
The committee presents three essential, interlinked tasks of a science enterprise directed at the production of an Everglades Restoration Science
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From page 234... ...
science coordination to advance and exchange knowledge; and (3) identification and establishment of focused science actions necessary to support progress.
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From page 235... ...
The Everglades science enterprise should develop a science plan to advance and implement essential science actions that directly support restoration decision making. This effort will require intense multiagency and stakeholder coordination.
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