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The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 20, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The meeting can be watched live on Channel 8, online at https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx and on the county’s Facebook page.
Accompanying board documents, the agenda and archived board meeting videos also are available at that link.
To participate in real-time, join the Zoom meeting by clicking this link.
The meeting ID is 992 4103 5475, pass code 546818. The meeting also can be accessed via one tap mobile at +16699006833,,99241035475#,,,,*546818#.
All interested members of the public that do not have internet access or a Mediacom cable subscription are encouraged to call 669-900-6833, and enter the Zoom meeting ID and pass code information above.
To submit a written comment on any agenda item visit https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx and click on the eComment feature linked to the meeting date. If a comment is submitted after the meeting begins, it may not be read during the meeting but will become a part of the record.
On Tuesday morning, the board will hold public interviews of two applicants to fill the sheriff’s job in the wake of Sheriff Brian Martin’s retirement at month’s end.
They’re looking to fill Martin’s post from Jan. 2, 2023, to Jan. 2, 2025, at which point the sheriff elected in the next general election will take office.
At 10 a.m., the board will interview Rob Howe, Lake County Probation chief. Howe served in the Lake County Sheriff’s Office from October 1992 to September 2011, at which point he was a captain and chief of staff. He was hired as chief probation officer in March 2012.
At 11 a.m., the board will interview the second candidate, Lt. Luke Bingham. He has served with the sheriff’s office since 1998, and currently heads its training program and recently was assigned as the agency’s lead for the project to remodel the former Lakeport National
Guard Armory into the sheriff’s office’s new headquarters.
The supervisors will then consider the two candidates in a 1 p.m. discussion.
In an untimed item, the board will introduce an ordinance to amend county code to give its members a 28% raise.
The report from administrative staff says that at the board’s Nov. 1 meeting, it discussed a recommendation to increase the board’s salary to 28.316% of the Lake County Superior Court Judges salaries, with an additional 5% increase for the chair of the board.
However, that’s not what happened, as the county’s own documents show.
Rather, County Administrative Officer Susan Parker had presented a suggestion to raise the board’s pay to 38.618% of the $229,125 annual salary of Superior Court judges — in effect as of July 1 — which would total $88,483.20. That would be a 38.8% raise.
If the raises actually are 28.316% of the Superior Court judge’s salary, it would put them at $64,879 a year, about $1,000 higher a year than the board’s current pay amounts.
The staff report does not explain the very large differences in the two proposals, although it gives an overall cost for the raises, $165,847, that suggests the raises in the new proposal would be on par with what the board previously discussed. It is unclear if this is a typo in the county documents and the proposed ordinance.
The ordinance must be read twice and then would go into effect 60 days after approval.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: Adopt proclamation commending and honoring Kelly Kobetsky of the Lake County Law Library.
5.2: a) Waive the formal bidding process, subject to Lake County Code Section 38.2, as it is not in the public interest due to the unique nature of goods or services; and b) approve agreement between county of Lake and AirMedCare Network for Air Ambulance Services, and authorize the chair to sign.
5.3: Adopt resolution of consent requesting the cities of Clearlake and Lakeport, through their City Councils, to renew the Lake County Tourism Improvement District.
5.4: Approve advance step increase for substance abuse counselor senior, Step 5 for Denise Newman.
5.5: Approve amended purchase order in the amount of $32,950.85 for one 2023 Ford Bronco Sport base four-door utility vehicle for Code Enforcement Division, and authorize the Community Development director/assistant purchasing agent to sign.
5.6: Approve agreement between county of Lake and Persimmony Software for Electronic Health Records Software in the amount of $39,396 and a one-time fee of $10,000 for implementation through June 30, 2023, and $78,792 per year plus CPI increase for the period of July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2027.
5.7: Approve addendum to agreement between the county of Lake and Tyler Technologies to add additional services for the period of March 24, 2020, to March 23, 2023 for an amount of $78,300; and authorize the chair to sign.
5.8: Approve the purchase of a 2022 Ford F-150 for the Parks and Recreation Division of the Public Services Department and authorize the Public Services director to sign a purchase order not to exceed $39,000 to Folsom Lake Ford of Folsom, California.
5.9: Approve the purchase of a 2022 Ford F-150 for the Buildings and Grounds Division of the Public Services Department and authorize the Public Services director to sign a purchase order not to exceed $43,000 to Folsom Lake Ford of Folsom, California.
5.10: Adopt resolution approving the application for the California Museum Grant Program for the Lake Pomo Gallery Project.
5.11: Adopt Resolution Amending Resolution No. 2022-118 to Amend the Adopted Budget for FY 2022-23 by Increasing Revenue in Fund 098 Road Division Budget to appropriate unanticipated revenue.
5.12: Approve purchase order for the purchase of a service truck for the ISF Heavy Equipment Division, and authorize the Public Works director/assistant purchasing agent to sign the purchase order.
5.13: Approve purchase order for the purchase of a Fecon CEM 36 for county road maintenance, and authorize the Public Works director/assistant purchasing agent to sign the purchase order.
5.14: (a) Adopt Resolution approving the Lake County Sheriff's Office to apply for state of California, Department of Parks and Recreation Off-Highway Vehicle Grant funds and authorize the Lake County sheriff/coroner or his designee to sign the project agreement and (b) consideration of a delegation of authority to Lake County Sheriff/Coroner Brian Martin or his designee to execute the attached Project Agreement, Number G22-03-64-L01 and to act as the county’s agent in the negotiation, execution, and submittal of all related documents, including amendments to the project agreement and requests for payments.
5.15: (a) Approve Amendment 1 of Agreement between the county of Lake and the state of California Department of State Hospitals, or DSH, to allow for the DSH to compensate the county when the Sheriff’s Office coordinates telehealth video interviews with inmates in the sheriff’s custody and (b) authorize the sheriff to sign all documents.
5.16: Approve to award bids for the purchase of inmate clothing and authorize the sheriff or his designee to issue purchase orders to various vendors.
5.17: Approve contract between county of Lake and Binti Inc. for Resource Family Approval Software, in the amount of $46,363.50, from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2025, and authorize the chair to sign.
5.18: Approve contract between county of Lake and Evolve Youth Services for temporary wraparound services, in the amount of $34,000, from July 1, 2022, to Oct. 31, 2022, and authorize the chair to sign.
5.19: Approve Agreement with Lake Marine Construction for the abatement services of lakebed structures in the amount not to exceed $250,000.
5.20: Approve joint funding agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior, or USGS, for annual maintenance of the Kelsey Creek Flow Gauge Station in the amount of $17,710 and authorize the chair to sign.
5.21: ADDENDUM - (a) Waive the competitive bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 38.2(1), as it is not in the public interest due to the fact the work was required to respond to an emergency situation, and (b) approve a purchase order for environmental services for the cleanup of a waste-oil spill on county-owned property, and authorize the Public Works director/assistant purchasing agent to sign the purchase order.
TIMED ITEMS
6.2, 9:07 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation commending and honoring Kelly Kobetsky of the Lake County Law Library.
6.3, 9:15 a.m.: Consideration of an agreement with CBG Communications Inc. for Broadband Action Plan Consulting Services, not to exceed $245,000.
6.4, 9:30 a.m.: Consideration and discussion of agreement for medical services in Lake County's Detention Facility with California Forensic Medical Group in the amount of $3,947,351 for the term of Jan. 1, 2023, through Jan. 1, 2024, with option to continue through Jan. 1, 2028, and authorize chair to sign.
6.5, 10 a.m.: Sheriff-Coroner interview – Eutice R. Howe.
6.6, 11 a.m.: Sheriff-Coroner interview – Lucas J. Bingham.
6.7, 1 p.m.: Review and consider sheriff-coroner candidates to serve the term of Jan. 2, 2023, to Jan. 2, 2025.
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: Introduction of an ordinance amending Section 2-3A.1 of Article I, Chapter 2 of the Lake County Code, Compensation of the Board of Supervisors.
7.3: Consideration of resolution authorizing the Behavioral Health Director to Sign the Standard Agreement for HHAP Funds and Public review and approval of the County of Lake Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention (HHAP) Round 4 application.
CLOSED SESSION
8.1: Public Employee Evaluation: Behavioral Health Director Todd Metcalf.
8.2: Conference with legal counsel: Significant exposure to litigation pursuant to Gov. Code section 54956.9(d)(2), (e)(1) – One potential case.
8.3: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code section 54956.9(1) – Flesch v. County of Lake.
Editor’s note: This article has been clarified regarding Howe’s date of employment with the Probation Department. He worked for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office until September 2011 and took the chief probation officer job in March 2012.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
The council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 20, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
The agenda can be found here.
The council chambers will be open to the public for the meeting. Masks are highly encouraged where 6-foot distancing cannot be maintained.
If you cannot attend in person, and would like to speak on an agenda item, you can access the Zoom meeting remotely at this link or join by phone by calling toll-free 669-900-9128 or 346-248-7799.
The webinar ID is 973 6820 1787, access code is 477973; the audio pin will be shown after joining the webinar. Those phoning in without using the web link will be in “listen mode” only and will not be able to participate or comment.
Comments can be submitted by email to
At the start of the meeting, the council will hold its annual reorganization.
City Clerk/Administrative Services Director Kelly Buendia will present the certification of the Lake County Registrar of Voters Office, the results of the official canvass and the adoption of the resolution reciting the facts of the Nov. 8 general election.
The council also will receive and file the resignation of newly elected Council Member Mireya Turner.
Mayor Stacey Mattina will honor outgoing Councilmember George Spurr before the oaths of office are given to newly selected council members, Brandon Disney and Kim Costa.
The council will then select its mayor and mayor pro tem for 2023.
During Tuesday’s meeting, the council also will meet new Lakeport Fire Chief Patrick Reitz; consider authorizing professional services agreements with NHA Advisors LLC, part of the city’s finance team, and with the Lake Family Resource Center for the Crisis Intervention Responder Program; and get an update from the chief building official on the Clean Water Program.
On the consent agenda — items usually accepted as a slate on one vote — are ordinances; minutes of the regular council meeting on Dec. 6 and the special meeting of Dec. 12 and 13; adoption of an ordinance of the City Council of the City of Lakeport Repealing and Replacing Chapter 13.08 of Title 13 of the Lakeport Municipal Code to adopt a cross connection control program to protect the public water system; and approval of amendment No. 1 to the employment agreement with City Manager Kevin M. Ingram and authorize the mayor to sign.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online for information on visiting or adopting.
The following cats at the shelter have been cleared for adoption.
‘Wendy’
“Wendy” is a 6-month-old female domestic shorthair with a calico coat.
She is in cat room kennel No. 3, ID No. LCAC-A-4373.
Female domestic medium hair
This 5-month-old female domestic medium hair cat has a gray tabby coat.
She is in cat room kennel No. 36a, ID No. LCAC-A-4413.
Female domestic medium hair
This 5-month-old female domestic medium hair cat has a gray coat.
She is in cat room kennel No. 36b, ID No. LCAC-A-4414.
‘Cris’
“Cris” is a 6-month-old orange tabby with a short coat.
He is in cat room kennel No. 57, ID No. LCAC-A-4375.
Male domestic medium hair
This 5-month-old male domestic medium hair cat has a black coat.
He is in cat room kennel No. 77a, ID No. LCAC-A-4415.
Male domestic medium hair
This 5-month-old male domestic medium hair cat has a gray tabby coat.
He is in cat room kennel No. 77b, ID No. LCAC-A-4416.
‘Sonny’
“Sonny” is a 2-year-old male orange tabby with a short coat.
He is in cat room kennel No. 84, ID No. LCAC-A-4372.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
For many parents, respiratory syncytial virus – or RSV – which has been causing record numbers of hospitalizations of children during the fall of 2022, may sound like a relatively new and unheard-of threat. But in fact, RSV is a common respiratory virus that circulates every fall and winter and is a common cause of lung infections in young children.
RSV can be difficult to distinguish from other respiratory infections since the symptoms are common to other illnesses – runny nose, sneezing, congestion, coughing, fever, decreased appetite and wheezing. In most cases, RSV is mild and will improve at home. However, in certain cases, it can cause severe illness and require hospital treatment.
RSV can cause severe infections and pneumonia in anyone, including adults 65 years and older and those with chronic lung or heart conditions or weakened immune systems. But it is most commonly severe in young children.
We are an epidemiologist and a pediatric infectious disease physician and have seen the effects of RSV on children firsthand.
Unfortunately, although RSV is a very common respiratory threat, treatments for it are relatively limited, and as yet, there is no vaccine against it. However, 2023 is likely to be a pivotal year for RSV prevention strategies and treatments.
Treating children for RSV
Current guidelines recommend supportive care, which essentially means managing symptoms and trying to make children as comfortable as possible until they are well again. This includes offering plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration and using over-the-counter medications such as acetaminophen to reduce any fever.
Antibiotics are not useful for treating RSV since they only target bacterial infections and RSV is caused by a virus. But sometimes, children with RSV can also develop secondary bacterial infections in the lungs, in which case antibiotics may be prescribed.
There are a range of medications that have been tried on children with RSV, but for the most part, they’ve shown little benefit. For example, many studies have trialed the use of inhalers and corticosteroid medications, but results have shown that neither significantly reduces the severity of RSV. These medications are therefore not routinely recommended for children to treat severe RSV.
The only drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat RSV is ribavirin, an antiviral medication. It is aerosolized using a special nebulizing machine and needs to be given in the hospital for periods of eight to 24 hours over three to five days. The drug works by trying to stop the virus from replicating in the respiratory tract.
The trials evaluating ribavirin have been small, which means we can’t really be certain of its benefits. Because ribavirin is very expensive and its benefits uncertain, the American Academy of Pediatrics no longer routinely recommends it for treatment of RSV, except for specific cases in very high-risk patients.
Fortunately, most babies and young children with RSV do not require treatment and recover well with supportive care. But some can become very ill and need substantial care from their doctors, parents and family members.
While RSV can result in serious disease for any child, children in high-risk groups face more serious threats from RSV. These include babies less than 6 months old, premature infants, children under 2 years old with chronic lung disease or congenital heart disease, children with suppressed immune systems and children with neuromuscular disorders.
Children may require hospital care if they are having difficulty breathing, have a fever that does not go away after two days, or have lost energy and no longer eat, drink or urinate. This is primarily so they can be monitored and receive intravenous fluids to keep hydrated and ventilators to help with breathing. Approximately 1%-2% of babies less than 6 months old with RSV will be hospitalized.
It’s important to know that children infected with RSV might take a turn for the worse before they get better. This is because, in addition to severe nasal congestion that interferes with their feeding, the inflammation in their airways and lungs may prevent them from breathing properly and keeping a normal oxygen level in their blood. These are the children who end up in emergency rooms and hospitals during the respiratory virus season.
The future of RSV treatment is prevention
Since effective treatments for severe RSV in children are so limited, the primary goal is to prevent the disease from happening in the first place.
One prevention strategy is to treat infants and children who are at high risk of severe disease before they get sick. This includes very preterm infants and those with heart and lung conditions.
A monoclonal antibody called palivizumab can be given as a series of shots and is usually reserved for use during the RSV season. But since RSV has been so variable throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and in response to the early increase in RSV hospitalizations in children this year, the American Academy of Pediatrics recently updated its guidelines to allow administration of palivizumab whenever RSV is in high circulation.
But to really get ahead of the RSV threat, we believe the health care field needs prevention strategies that can protect all children from the disease from birth.
The promise of vaccines
Despite more than five decades of research, there is still no RSV vaccine available for children. This is because developing a vaccine that really works has been tricky. RSV vaccines target the F protein, the part of the virus that it uses to infect cells, and this protein has different forms before and after infecting the cells. RSV vaccines are in development for three groups, including infants 4 to 6 months old, adults 65 years and older, and pregnant people.
RSV vaccination during pregnancy produces RSV-specific antibodies in the mother that can then cross the placenta to protect the baby. These maternal antibodies generally offer protection for the first six months of a baby’s life. A recent clinical trial showed that RSV vaccination during pregnancy reduced the risk of RSV hospitalization by 82% in infants less than 3 months old. These are very promising results.
Another viable option for the prevention of RSV for all young babies is the use of long-acting RSV-specific antibodies that can be given either at birth or prior to the RSV season. These could provide immunity to infants for several months while RSV is in circulation. A recent clinical trial showed that one of these products, nirsevimab, reduced the risk of RSV hospitalization by 62% in children less than 1 year old.
Looking ahead
One positive outcome of fall 2022’s record RSV season is that it has raised public awareness of RSV and created renewed urgency around the need to find more effective preventive strategies and RSV treatments.
The success of these tools and strategies will largely depend on their acceptance and utilization by well-informed parents and providers.
Usually, parents become aware of RSV only after having experienced it in their own family. But pediatric providers know all too well from caring for their patients what RSV can do to young bodies. When parents and providers share these stories, it becomes a powerful testament to the need for preventive strategies to fight RSV.
Annette Regan, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, University of San Francisco and Flor M. Munoz, Associate Professor of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Baylor College of Medicine
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Angela DePalma-Dow, Lake County Water Resources Department Invasive Species Program coordinator and “Lady of the Lake” columnist, served as lead author of ecosphere-published work
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Water Resources staff and researchers from Michigan State University and University of Vermont partnered to investigate current water quality trends in Clear Lake, and their relationship to wildfires and climate change.
The research team evaluated water quality monitoring data from the last three large wildfire years in the Clear Lake Basin, including 2018 (Mendocino Complex), in comparison to long-term water quality nutrient data.
Their findings have now been published in the open-access, Peer-Reviewed Ecology Journal, Ecosphere, in a piece titled, “Turning up the Heat: Long-term water quality responses to wildfires and climate change in a hypereutrophic lake” (DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4271).
“Right after the Mendocino Complex, our department received many calls from the public concerned about the fire’s impact on Clear Lake water quality,” said Angela De Palma-Dow, County Invasive Species Program coordinator and lead author and primary investigator for the research effort.
“And while there is a plethora of wildfire water quality research out there, none includes a lake as large and productive (i.e., biomass- and species-dense, nutrient-rich and eutrophic) as Clear Lake. This was a great opportunity for our team to closely review the data, and inform public discussion and planning efforts,” said De Palma-Dow, who also writes the “Lady of the Lake” column.
The research effort aimed to identify the influence of wildfires, water and air temperature, and precipitation on water quality in Clear Lake. Climate change data was collected from a variety of public, open sources. Water quality data was sourced from a long-term collaborative water monitoring program undertaken by the California Department of Water Resources, County Water Resources staff and local Tribal governments.
For about 60 years, members of this collaborative have collected monthly water quality data from Clear Lake’s three arms. Clear Lake has become much more nutrient-rich and productive over time, a process known as “eutrophication.” This trend is pronounced after the mid 1980’s and in times of drought.
Eutrophication is typically fueled by increased nutrient inputs, primarily phosphorus. Nutrients lead to growth of both algae (phytoplankton) and cyanobacteria, turning the water green.
When algae and cyanobacteria die and decompose, this can result in foul odors and release of toxins, disrupting recreation in affected areas of the lake. Thick green mats on the surface of the lake can be observable from shorelines.
These conditions increase in frequency and severity when water temperatures are very warm and especially when lake levels are low (e.g., drought).
Researchers analyzed what variables were most associated with increased phosphorus over time, especially during the heavy bloom season, from July through October.
Watershed areas burned by wildfire, seasonal air and water temperatures, and seasonal precipitation were assessed. Phosphorus increases in Clear Lake were primarily driven by lack of rain and warmer air and water temperatures.
“We found higher phosphorus concentrations, over the long term, were associated with hot and dry weather, not rain, alone, or rain following wildfires,” co-author Dr. Ian McCullough of Michigan State University added. Climate change may be a greater threat to Clear Lake water quality than wildfires.
Higher water temperatures, at the top and bottom of the water column, are also associated with observed increases in phosphorus. These findings are most pronounced in the data after 1985.
“What could be happening here is release of phosphorus from lake sediment,” said Dr. Jennie Brentrup, study co-author and aquatic scientist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. “Part of the issue is warmer water holds less oxygen, and decomposing algae and cyanobacteria also consume oxygen at the lake bottom. As the lake heats up and less oxygen is available, more phosphorus can be released from the sediment and mix into surface waters, further fueling the cycle of eutrophication.”
Sedimentary phosphorus release must be considered in future management of Clear Lake. The Blue Ribbon Committee for the Rehabilitation of Clear Lake, or BRC, just approved $2.25 million for a hypolimnetic oxygenation pilot study to be conducted in the Oaks arm of the Lake.
This project will inject oxygen directly into the bottom of the lake to “trap” phosphorus in the sediments, preventing the food source for cyanobacteria; its aim is to stop severe blooms from occurring, in the first place.
More information on this project and the BRC is available through the California Natural Resources Agency’s website.
Clear Lake is a critical asset, supporting Lake County fisheries, water-based tourism and local economic activity.
Its waters are used for irrigation, recreation, and tribal cultural practices, and also drinking water for 40,000 people, or nearly 60% of the county’s population, the majority of whom are low income and/or members of local tribes — Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians, Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake, Robinson Rancheria Pomo Indians of California, Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians and Elem Indian Colony.
County Water Resources staff value this research.
“As stewards of the Lake, we rely on long-term monthly monitoring data,” said Scott De Leon, Lake County’s Water Resources director. “Wildfires and droughts are expected to grow more frequent, and Angela and the research team’s findings valuably interpret the role multiple climate-informed factors play in the water quality outcomes we are seeing. Our team continually seeks to augment our understanding and plan future efforts in accordance with the best available data.”
If you have any questions or need more information, please contact the Water Resources Department at
Also visit the Water Resources Department’s website or the “Lake County Water Resources Department” Facebook page, @lakecountywater.
Please direct questions on, “Turning up the Heat: Long-term water quality responses to wildfires and climate change in a hypereutrophic lake,” specifically, to
Extinction is part of life on Earth. Through much of our planet’s history, species have been forming, evolving and eventually disappearing. Today, however, human activities have dramatically sped up the process. The Earth is losing animals, birds, reptiles and other living things so fast that some scientists believe the planet is entering the sixth mass extinction in its history.
On Dec. 7, 2022, the United Nations will convene governments from around the world in Montreal for a 10-day conference that aims to establish new goals for protecting Earth’s ecosystems and their biodiversity – the variety of life at all levels, from genes to ecosystems. There’s broad agreement that there is a biodiversity crisis, but there are many different views about why protecting it is important.
Some people, cultures and nations believe biodiversity is worth conserving because ecosystems provide many services that support human prosperity, health and well-being. Others assert that all living things have a right to exist, regardless of their usefulness to humans. Today, there’s also growing understanding that nature enriches our lives by providing opportunities for us to connect with each other and the places we care about.
As a conservation biologist, I’ve been part of the effort to value biodiversity for years. Here’s how thinking in this field has evolved, and why I’ve come to believe that there are many equally valid reasons for protecting nature.
Defending every species
Conservation biology is a scientific field with a mission: protecting and restoring biodiversity around the world. It came of age in the 1980s, as humans’ impact on the Earth was becoming alarmingly clear.
In a 1985 essay, Michael Soulé, one of the field’s founders, described what he saw as the core principles of conservation biology. Soulé argued that biological diversity is inherently good and should be conserved because it has intrinsic value. He also proposed that conservation biologists should act to save biodiversity even if sound science isn’t available to inform decisions.
To critics, Soulé’s principles sounded more like environmental activism than science. What’s more, not everyone agreed then or now that biodiversity is inherently good.
After all, wild animals can destroy crops and endanger human lives. Contact with nature can lead to disease. And some conservation initiatives have displaced people from their land or prevented development that might otherwise improve people’s lives.
Valuing nature’s services
Soulé’s essay spurred many researchers to push for a more science-driven approach to conservation. They sought to directly quantify the value of ecosystems and the roles species played in them. Some scholars focused on calculating the value of ecosystems to humans.
They reached a preliminary conclusion that the total economic value of the world’s ecosystems was worth an average US$33 trillion per year in 1997 dollars. At the time, this was nearly twice the global value of the entire world’s financial markets.
This estimate included services such as predators controlling pests that would otherwise ruin crops; pollinators helping to produce fruits and vegetables; wetlands, mangroves and other natural systems buffering coasts against storms and flooding; oceans providing fish for food; and forests providing lumber and other building materials.
Researchers have refined their estimates of what these benefits are worth, but their central conclusion remains the same: Nature has shockingly high economic value that existing financial markets don’t account for.
A second group began to quantify the nonmonetary value of nature for human health, happiness and well-being. Studies typically had people take part in outdoor activities, such as strolling through a green space, hiking in the woods or canoeing on a lake. Later, they measured the subjects’ physical or emotional health.
This research found that spending time in nature tended to reduce blood pressure, lower hormones related to stress and anxiety, decrease the probability of depression and improve cognitive function and certain immune functions. People exposed to nature fared better than others who took part in similar activities in nonnatural settings, such as walking through a city.
Losing species weakens ecosystems
A third line of research asked a different question: When ecosystems lose species, can they still function and provide services? This work was driven mainly by experiments where researchers directly manipulated the diversity of different types of organisms in settings ranging from laboratory cultures to greenhouses, plots in fields, forests and coastal areas.
By 2010, scientists had published more than 600 experiments, manipulating over 500 groups of organisms in freshwater, marine and land ecosystems. In a 2012 review of these experiments, colleagues and I found unequivocal evidence that when ecosystems lose biodiversity, they become less efficient, less productive and less stable. And they are less able to deliver many of the services that underlie human well-being.
For example, we found strong evidence that loss of genetic diversity reduced crop yields, and loss of tree diversity reduced the amount of wood that forests produced. We also found evidence that oceans with fewer fish species produced less-reliable catches, and that ecosystems with lower plant diversity were more prone to invasive pests and diseases.
We also showed that it was possible to develop robust mathematical models that could predict reasonably well how biodiversity loss would affect certain types of valuable services from ecosystems.
Many motives for protecting nature
For years, I believed that this work had established the value of ecosystems and quantified how biodiversity provided ecosystem services. But I’ve come to realize that other arguments for protecting nature are just as valid, and often more convincing for many people.
I have worked with many people who donate money or land to support conservation. But I’ve never heard anyone say they were doing it because of the economic value of biodiversity or its role in sustaining ecosystem services.
Instead, they’ve shared stories about how they grew up fishing with their father, held family gatherings at a cabin or canoed with someone who was important to them. They wanted to pass on those experiences to their children and grandchildren to preserve familial relationships. Researchers increasingly recognize that such relational values – connections to communities and to specific places – are one of the most common reasons why people choose to conserve nature.
I also know many people who hold deep religious beliefs and are rarely swayed by scientific arguments for conservation. But when Pope Francis published his 2015 encyclical Laudato si’: On Care for Our Common Home and said God’s followers had a moral responsibility to care for his creation, my religious relatives, friends and colleagues suddenly wanted to know about biodiversity loss and what they might do about it.
Surveys show that 85% of the world’s population identifies with a major religion. Leaders of every major religion have published declarations similar to Pope Francis’ encyclical, calling on their followers to be better stewards of Earth. Undoubtedly, a large portion of humanity assigns moral value to nature.
Research clearly shows that nature provides humanity with enormous value. But some people simply believe that other species have a right to exist, or that their religion tells them to be good stewards of Earth. As I see it, embracing these diverse perspectives is the best way to get global buy-in for conserving Earth’s ecosystems and living creatures for the good of all.
Bradley J. Cardinale, Department Head, Ecosystem Science and Management, Penn State
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.