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Ecosystem Services Valuation for the Katy Prairie Conservancy and Adjacent Lands Waller & Harris Counties, Texas

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Ecosystem Services Valuation for the Katy Prairie Conservancy and Adjacent Lands Waller & Harris Counties, Texas ECOSYSTEM SERVICES VALUATION FOR THE KATY PRAIRIE CONSERVANCY AND ADJACENT LANDS WALLER & HARRIS COUNTIES, TEXAS Prepared for: Katy Prairie Conservancy (KPC) 5615 Kirby Drive, Suite 867 Houston, TX 77005 Prepared by: Applied Ecological Services, Inc. (AES) Steven Apfelbaum, Jason Carlson, Steven Dischler, Mark O’Leary, Ry Thompson, Elizabeth Tiller, and Fugui Wang 17921 Smith Road Brodhead, WI 53520 April 2019 (THIS PAGE LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK) ii | P a g e Acknowledgements A team effort was required to prepare this study. The Applied Ecological Services (AES) team is grateful for the collaboration with Katy Prairie Conservancy (Elisa Donovan, Wesley Newman and Mary Anne Piacentini) The Powis Firm, PLLC (Jennifer Powis), Rice University (Phil Bedient, Larry Dunbar, Andrew Juan, Rik Hovinga) and the Rice students who collected soil and vegetation infiltration data in representative ecosystems of KPC land. iii | P a g e TABLE OF CONTENTS GLOSSARY OF ACRONYMS ...................................................................................................................................... I EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................................ I I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................. 1 II. ECOSYSTEM SERVICES VALUATION ............................................................................................................... 3 METHODS AND APPROACH .............................................................................................................................................. 3 Literature and Information Review Methods ........................................................................................................ 3 Ecological Communities ........................................................................................................................................ 4 Definitions and Descriptions of Ecological Services and Products......................................................................... 5 Economic Valuation Categories ............................................................................................................................ 7 Application of Findings to the KPC Landscape ...................................................................................................... 7 Valuation Challenges for the KPC Landscape ...................................................................................................... 11 Hydrology Overlay............................................................................................................................................... 11 ECONOMIC VALUATION OF EXISTING KPC ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES ................................................................................... 12 Economic Valuation of Ecological Services and Goods by Ecological Community .............................................. 12 Economic Valuation of Flood Damage Reduction by Ecological Community ...................................................... 13 III. LANDSCAPE MODELING OF EXISTING AND RESTORED ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES ................................... 14 OVERVIEW OF LAND COVER CLASSIFICATION ..................................................................................................................... 14 METHODS FOR COSTS AND VALUATIONS FOR ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION ................................................................................ 15 ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES CLASSIFICATION UNDER SCENARIO 1: EXISTING CONDITIONS .......................................................... 17 Restored Ecological Communities Under Four Future Scenarios......................................................................... 18 Scenario 2: Conversion of Lands within 20,000-acre AOI .................................................................................... 20 Scenario 3: Conversion of Lands within 30,000-acre AOI .................................................................................... 21 Scenario 4: Conversion of Lands within 50,000-acre AOI .................................................................................... 21 Scenario 5: Conversion of Lands within 101,000-acre AOI .................................................................................. 22 IV. LANDSCAPE ECOSYSTEM SERVICES VALUATION .......................................................................................... 24 EXISTING AND RESTORED ECOLOGICAL CONDITIONS ............................................................................................................ 24 RESTORED ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES ............................................................................................................................ 25 V. FLOOD DAMAGE REDUCTION AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES VALUATION ....................................................... 28 FLOOD DAMAGE EVALUATION METHODS ......................................................................................................................... 28 FLOOD DAMAGE EVALUATION ANALYSIS ........................................................................................................................... 28 FLOOD DAMAGE REDUCTION VALUATION ......................................................................................................................... 31 Method 1. Reduction in Runoff Volume .............................................................................................................. 31 Method 2. Improved Infiltration and Reduced Runoff Volumes Compared to Urban Development Build-out ... 33 CAVEATS FOR HYDROLOGICAL ECOSYSTEM SERVICE VALUATION ............................................................................................ 34 VI. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................................... 36 VII. BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................................................ 37 APPENDICES......................................................................................................................................................... 49 APPENDIX 1: VALUATION REFERENCES ................................................................................................................ 50 APPENDIX 1-1. PRIMARY REFERENCES USED IN ECOSYSTEM SERVICES VALUATION ................................................................... 51 APPENDIX 2: ECOSYSTEM SERVICES VALUATION WORKSHEETS ........................................................................... 54 APPENDIX 2-1. AES SUMMARY COSTS FOR RESTORATION AND ENHANCEMENT ....................................................................... 55 APPENDIX 2-2. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY ECOSYSTEM SERVICES PROVIDED BY ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES ................................. 56 APPENDIX 2-3. VALUATION METHODS REPORTED IN SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE FOR THE ECOSYSTEM SERVICES PROVIDED BY EACH ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITY ............................................................................................................................................. 57 APPENDIX 2-4. SUMMARY OF THE ANNUAL VALUE OF ECOLOGICAL SERVICES PROVIDED BY ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES. ................ 58 APPENDIX 2-5. ANNUAL COSTS TO RESTORE ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES UNDER SCENARIOS ..................................................... 59 APPENDIX 2-6. COMPARISON OF CHANGE IN ECOSYSTEM SERVICES VALUE RESULTING FROM TRANSITIONING DEGRADED ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES TO RESTORED COMMUNITIES. .................................................................................................................... 60 APPENDIX 2-7. NET 30-YEAR ACCRUED ECOSYSTEM SERVICE VALUES FOLLOWING RESTORATION FOR EACH ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITY AND EACH SCENARIO. ................................................................................................................................................... 61 APPENDIX 3: KPC ECOSYSTEM SERVICES VALUES BASED ON LOCAL DATA AND CONTRACTS ............................... 62 APPENDIX 3-1. KPC BACKGROUND DATA ON AGRICULTURAL LEASE REVENUE ......................................................................... 63 APPENDIX 3-2. KPC BACKGROUND DATA ON HUNTING LEASE REVENUE ................................................................................ 64 APPENDIX 4: HOUSTON REGION ECOSYSTEM SERVICE VALUES FOR FLOODWATER REDUCTION ......................... 65 APPENDIX 4-1. SUMMARY COSTS FOR CONVENTIONAL WETLAND STORAGE PONDS ................................................................. 66 APPENDIX 4-2. CONSTRUCTION COSTS FOR CONVENTIONAL WETLAND STORAGE PONDS .......................................................... 67 APPENDIX 4-3. ESTABLISHMENT, O&M, AND MONITORING COSTS FOR CONVENTIONAL WETLAND STORAGE PONDS .................... 68 APPENDIX 4-4. KPC BACKGROUND DATA ON HOUSTON COSTS FOR DETENTION/RETENTION PONDS .......................................... 69 APPENDIX 4-5. KPC LAND DATA ON HOUSTON COSTS FOR DETENTION/RETENTION PONDS ...................................................... 72 APPENDIX 5: REMOTE SENSING AND LAND COVER CLASSIFICATION ................................................................... 73 APPENDIX 5-1. KATY PRAIRIE CONSERVANCY AREA OF INTEREST (AOI) .................................................................................
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