Mitigation Banking
Ecosystem Services multi-disciplinary team of engineers, biologists, soil scientists and environmental scientists provide the expertise to carry any mitigation/ environmental banking project from the feasibility and assessment phase through the permitting, design, mitigation marketing, monitoring and adaptive management phase until the project is transferred to a long-term steward at the completion of mitigation banking responsibilities. We pride ourselves on forming close partnerships with our clients. Your success is our success.
Types of Mitigation Banking Offered
Stream and wetland banking programs provide private property owners the financial incentives to restore or enhance degraded streams and wetlands on their properties. In the right location these opportunities can provide lucrative financial opportunities on par with the financial returns of traditional development. Wetland banking has been active in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions since the mid 1980s. Stream mitigation banking is a relatively newer program which developed in 2000. These programs have complex regulatory, design, and success criteria. Our staff has the experience, and the relationships with regulatory staff to maneuver efficiently through these complexities.
Each design project is unique, and thus the design and permitting approach is also unique for each project. Our design methodology is an iterative process centered around accomplishing realistic goals while addressing constraints and creating project opportunities. Our design engineers and biologists use a combination of natural channel design, and analytic design methodologies to evaluate different alternatives. We do not adhere to a “one-size fits all” or prescriptive design methodology.
Nutrient banking is a more recent environmental banking opportunity that was developed to assist state and local governments with meeting nutrient and sediment reduction goals. Each state has its own unique program but they generally involve practices such as reforestation/land conversion, stream and wetland restoration or BMP conversion. Our staff has been on the forefront of the development of these state and federal regulatory programs and serves on state and federal regulatory advisory panels and technical advisory committees. It is this intimate relationship with the technical and regulatory aspects of nutrient banking that make our projects ecologically and financially successful.
Endangered species banking is a developing ecosystem service market where we are on the forefront. This emerging market will allow landowners with existing or historic endangered species habitat to turn what was previously considered a property liability into an opportunity. Endangered species banking provides protected species its unique habitat conditions while giving the property owner the financial incentives to protect and enhance the habitat for the species of concern.
Forest conservation banking has been active in Maryland since 1991. This program gives the local governments in Maryland the opportunity to have a no net loss of forestland while giving private property owners financial incentives to restore or preserve forestland. As certified Forest Stand Delineators and Forest Conservation Planners the staff of Ecosystem Services can assist you with developing and marketing a forest conservation bank on your property.