Addressing the information gaps associated with valuing green infrastructure in west Michigan: INtegrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services Tool (INVEST)

Land use change is profoundly influencing the environmental resources of the Great Lakes region. In West Michigan, population growth and rapid land use change have resulted in urbanization and a loss in the diversity of green infrastructure that provides a variety of benefits–ecosystem services–to regional residents and visitors. To address these changes in land use and cover in ways that are objective, transparent, and defensible, local policy makers need tools to help inform local and regional land use decisions. An interdisciplinary team, engaged by a regional policy organization, developed one such online tool, the INtegrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services Tool (INVEST). INVEST utilizes static GIS maps, graphs, and tables, to help educate local and regional decision-makers about the underlying values of ecosystem services associated with green infrastructure, particularly those services that do not pass through traditional commercial markets. In this article we provide a general overview of the development of INVEST and examine its current application as an educational tool, including the specific challenges associated with addressing the information gaps.