Habitat Equivalency Analysis

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Figure indicating conceptual calculation of injury from an toxic release incident.

Habitat Equivalency Analysis is one among a set of methods for quantifying injury and damages, developed during Natural Resource Damage Assessment processes defined under the federal Oil Pollution Act and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act. HEA uses a Discounted Service Acre Year unit to compare between an area of injury caused by toxic contamination and an area of restoration, considering the relative use of each area by a set of target species and over a period of time. Service Acres are acres multiplied by an increment of habitat value. Discounting is applied based on economic theory that suggests that current service has greater value than service at some point in the future. Ultimately HEA is an estimation tool, used for negotiation of compensation. The use of HEA has expanded over time to quantify increments of habitat injury caused by development.

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