Joe’s presentation will include an in-depth discussion of NEBA, ecosystem services and valuation, and application across multiple environmental decision-making processes, with a focus on site risk management and mine closure. Net environmental benefits are the gains in value of environmental services or other ecological properties attained by an action(s) minus the value of adverse environmental effects caused by the action(s). Incorporating ecosystem service values into decisions regarding environmental tradeoffs can have major social, environmental and economic implications for stakeholders. NEBA is an alternative decision-making framework that incorporates ecosystem service valuation into the quantification and comparison of the effects of alternative actions on the environment, providing decision-makers with an opportunity to make informed choices about the net benefits of actions that affect the environment. By “informed,” I mean an approach that is systematic, consistent, defensible, and understandable to all stakeholders. Decisions with these traits achieve environmental objectives in a timely and cost-effective manner, while providing a transparent basis for decision-making. An overarching goal of NEBA is to balance the risks, benefits and trade-offs between competing management alternatives to help decision-makers manage site and/or action risks, maximize benefits to the environment and the public, and reduce and manage costs. Joe co-authored the NEBA Framework that is recognized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the USEPA Science Advisory Board.

Participants will gain an understanding of the evolution of NEBA, ecosystem services and valuation, and various applications of NEBA to environmental issues.