Stetson hosts Sixth Annual ELI-Stetson Wetlands Workshop and Foreman Biodiversity Lecture
The ELI-Stetson Wetlands Workshop featured lively panel discussions.
Stetson University College of Law hosted the Sixth Annual ELI-Stetson Wetlands Workshop and Edward and Bonnie Foreman Biodiversity Lecture on Nov. 8 in Gulfport.
Dr. M. Siobhan Fennessy presented the Foreman Biodiversity Lecture on “Assessing the Performance of Wetland Restoration for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: Is there an App for that?”
Dr. Fennessy discussed the biodiversity and ecosystem services supported by wetlands that are among the most critical for human well-being, the need for wetland restoration projects, and recent developments in evaluating those projects. Fennessy teaches and conducts research on inland and coastal wetlands and their biodiversity.
“I think the most important message is that we have lost an enormous amount of our wetlands,” said Dr. Fennessy. “They’re incredibly important in terms of the biodiversity they support, and the benefits they provide in terms of ecosystems services.”
The Wetlands Workshop included a panel on “In-Lieu Fee Compensatory Mitigation” featuring Dr. Rebecca Kihslinger of the Environmental Law Institute, Erin Okuno of Stetson’s Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy, Karen Johnson of the Nature Conservancy, Alex Robertson of the Georgia-Alabama Land Trust, and Stetson Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy Director Professor Royal Gardner.
A second panel on “The Role of Public Mitigation Banks and Programs” featured David Urban of the Ecosystem Investment Partners, Martha Gruber and Philip Rhinesmith of the Southwest Florida Water Management District, Andrew Zodrow of the Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County, Michael Dema of the City of St. Petersburg, and Stetson University Professor Clay Henderson.
A networking reception was sponsored by Mechanik Nuccio Hearne & Wester, P.A.
Post date: Nov. 8, 2018
Media contact: Kate Bradshaw
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