ACES and Ecosystems Markets 2012

ACES and Ecosystem Markets 2012 is an international collaboration of three dynamic communities - A Community on Ecosystem Services (ACES), the Ecosystem Markets Conference, and the Ecosystem Services Partnership (ESP). The conference will provide an open forum to share experiences and state-of-the-art methods, tools, and processes for assessing and incorporating ecosystem services into public and private decisions. The focus of the conference will be to link science, practice, institutions and resource sustainable decision making by bringing together ecosystem services communities from around the United States and the globe.

ACES and Ecosystem Markets 2012 will bring together leaders in government, NGOs, academia, tribal organizations, and the private sector to advance the use of ecosystem services science and practice in conservation, restoration, resource management, and development decisions. To facilitate discussion, a variety of presentation methods including, organized sessions, world café discussions, town hall meetings, oral and poster presentations, and hands-on workshops will be incorporated into the conference structure. Topics and themes from previous ACES, Ecosystem Markets, and ESP events will be integrated to provide the most comprehensive event on the ecosystem services.

• Tuesday, December 11, 2012 - 8:30-10:00am
  Plenary Session I: Applying an Ecosystem Services Framework to Natural Resource Management: Accomplishments, Challenges and Opportunities
  Craig Hanson (Director, People & Ecosystems Program) will discuss WRI’s ecosystems for water work.

• Tuesday, December 11, 2012 - 4:10-4:30pm
  Session 2B: Coastal Services and Value
  Lauretta Burke (Senior Associate in the People and Ecosystems Program) will present on “Coastal Capital: Standardized Framework For Coastal Valuation In The Caribbean”

• Thursday, December 13, 2012 - 3:45-5:00pm
  Closing Plenary: Key Findings, Lessons Learned and Future Directions: A Conference Synthesis
  Todd Gartner (Senior Associate, Conservation Incentives & Markets, People & Ecosystems Program) will provide a synthesis and wrap-up of conference events, setting stage for moving forward and highlighting ecosystems-for-water efforts.

Follow the conference on Twitter using the hashtag #ACES2012

For more information, visit http://www.conference.ifas.ufl.edu/aces/index.html