Author(s): Jerry Bernard; Robert L. Kellogg
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: Conservation; Soil quality; Water quality; Models; Environmental assessment; Inventory
Abstract: The Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) was initiated as a result of the large amount of funding ($2 billion-U. S. ) for conservation programs in the Food Security Act of 2002, also known as the 2002 Farm Bill. The U. S. public, the Congress, and many others are asking questions about the effectiveness of these conservation expenditures and their results in terms of environmental benefits and effects. The primary focal points are the quality of soil and water and the conservation of water, but additional studies are planned to determine effects of conservation practices on air quality, environmental habitat, carbon sequestration, and other effects and benefits. There are two major components to the project. The first is the National Assessment, which will provide estimates of conservation benefits at the national scale for annual reporting. The National Assessment will use new and existing National Resources Inventory data and field and watershed scale models to generate national reports about the numbers and kinds of practices installed, as well as their costs and environmental outcomes. The second major component of the project is the Watershed Assessment Studies, which will provide in selected watersheds more detailed assessments of environmental effects and benefits than are possible at the national scale, provide a framework for evaluating and improving the performance of the national assessment models, and provide additional research on conservation practices and their expected effects at the watershed scale. This paper describes the project and the two major components, with emphasis on the analytical tools being employed, and specific studies ongoing in research watersheds.
Year: 2004