scholarly journals Valuing Marine Ecosystems - Taking into account the value of ecosystem benefits in the Blue Economy

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie Austen ◽  
Peder Andersen ◽  
Claire Armstrong ◽  
Ralf Döring ◽  
Stephen Hynes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Marine Environment ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Ecosystem Valuation ◽  
Natural Capital Accounting ◽  
Support Policy ◽  
Marine Ecosystem Services

The main aim of this publication is to highlight the current thinking in ecosystem service valuation for the marine environment. Valuation of the benefits stemming from marine ecosystem services, including often unnoticed benefits to society, can help to assess the long-term sustainability of blue growth, support policy development and marine management decisions, and raise awareness of the importance of the marine environment to society and in the economy. Recommendations are made on how to incorporate outputs from valuation studies into the traditional analyses used in resource and environmental economics and into the European marine policy landscape and related management and decision making choices. The publication is primarily aimed at stakeholders interested in valuation of marine ecosystem services and natural capital accounting, spanning diverse roles from commissioning, managing, funding and coordinating, to developing, implementing, or advising on, marine ecosystem service and natural capital programmes. Such programmes will have strategic and policy drivers but their main purpose may vary from predominantly research driven science to provision of valuation data and reporting to legally-binding regulations or directives. The main focus is on European capabilities but set in a global context with the various actors spanning a variety of geographical scales from national to regional and European. Key stakeholder organizations include environmental or other agencies; marine research institutions, their researchers and operators; international and regional initiatives and programmes; national, regional and European policy makers and their advisors. It will also be of interest to the wider marine and maritime research and policy community. The publication recommends:1.Marine ecosystem valuation should be used to support policy making, regulation and management and decision making;2.The quality and availability of monetary and non-monetary valuation data should be improved and increased through research, development and implementation actions;3.The spatial and temporal dimensions of ecosystem valuation need to be mapped and their implications for policy and management decisions assessed;4.In order to strengthen the use and derivation of ecosystem service values to support policy, regulation and management, underpinning research and development actions should be undertaken:a.To improve understanding of the role of marine biodiversity and ecosystem processes in providing services and benefits;b.To improve modelling approaches to support ecosystem valuation and decision making;5.Systems to enable and use marine natural capital accounting and enhance the experimental ecosystem accounts should be further developed and implemented including:a. A natural capital portfolio approach utilising existing marine data sets and assessment results and addressing scale and aggregation as well as ecosystem degradation;b.Valuation methods for both ecosystem services and assets that can be standardised and are compatible with National Accounting;c.Payment for marine ecosystem services and other financing mechanisms to restore marine natural capital and improve its sustainable use.

scholarly journals Trends and Evolution in the Concept of Marine Ecosystem Services: An Overview

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 2060
Author(s):  
Elvira Buonocore ◽  
Umberto Grande ◽  
Pier Paolo Franzese ◽  
Giovanni F. Russo
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Alternative Assessment ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Marine Ecosystems ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Coastal Protection ◽  
Policy Dialogue ◽  
Marine Ecosystem Services

The biotic and abiotic assets of the marine environment form the “marine natural capital” embedded in the global ocean. Marine natural capital provides the flow of “marine ecosystem services” that are directly used or enjoyed by people providing benefits to human well-being. They include provisioning services (e.g., food), regulation and maintenance services (e.g., carbon sequestration and storage, and coastal protection), and cultural services (e.g., tourism and recreational benefits). In recent decades, human activities have increased the pressures on marine ecosystems, often leading to ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss and, in turn, affecting their ability to provide benefits to humans. Therefore, effective management strategies are crucial to the conservation of healthy and diverse marine ecosystems and to ensuring their long-term generation of goods and services. Biophysical, economic, and sociocultural assessments of marine ecosystem services are much needed to convey the importance of natural resources to managers and policy makers supporting the development and implementation of policies oriented for the sustainable management of marine resources. In addition, the accounting of marine ecosystem service values can be usefully complemented by their mapping to enable the identification of priority areas and management strategies and to facilitate science–policy dialogue. Given this premise, this study aims to review trends and evolution in the concept of marine ecosystem services. In particular, the global scientific literature on marine ecosystem services is explored by focusing on the following main aspects: the definition and classification of marine ecosystem services; their loss due to anthropogenic pressures, alternative assessment, and mapping approaches; and the inclusion of marine ecosystem services into policy and decision-making processes.

Response of Ecosystem Service Values to Environmental Change in the Bohai Sea

2012 ◽  
Vol 518-523 ◽  
pp. 1321-1324 ◽  
Author(s):  
An Ning Suo ◽  
Xu Bin Pan ◽  
Jian Hua Zhao ◽  
Yong Hai Yu
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Bohai Sea ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Laizhou Bay ◽  
The Bohai Sea ◽  
Ecosystem Services Value ◽  
Climate Regulation ◽  
Marine Ecosystem Services ◽  
O2 Supply

Since 1988, great changes of primary production, pollutants loading, coastline and sea area have happened in the Bohai Sea in China. These environmental changes increased the value of marine ecosystem services value from 529.42 billion RMB in 1988 to 558.83 billion RMB in 2010. The ecosystem services values of recreation, food and materials production, O2 supply, climate regulation and primary productivity were raised. However, other marine ecosystem services value, including biological control, pollutant purification, knowledge broaden and biodiversity protection were lowered. In addition, value of ecosystem services increased in Liaodong Bay and Bohai Bay, but decreased in middle Bohai and Bohai strait, and it no change in Laizhou Bay,.This spatial difference of ecosystem service function value was mainly caused by the change of recreation function, O2 supply function and climate regulation function.

The Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service as a platform to map marine ecosystem services: a Lithuanian case study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Inácio ◽  
Marius Kalinauskas ◽  
Katarzyna Miksa ◽  
Eduardo Gomes ◽  
Paulo Pereira
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Marine Environment ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Ecological Modelling ◽  
Biogeochemical Model ◽  
Environment Monitoring ◽  
Concentration Data ◽  
Marine Ecosystem Services ◽  
Marine Environment Monitoring ◽  
Monitoring Service

<p>Oceans and seas have always played an important role in supporting human wellbeing through the deliverance marine ecosystem services (MES). Nevertheless, the anthropogenic driven environmental degradation coupled with changes in socio-economic dynamics affected the capacity to deliver MES in quantity and quality. While it is of the utmost importance and need to map and assess MES, data deficiencies, data standardization, lack of knowledge on the functioning of multiple MES and poor spatial and temporal coverage, hinder its operationalization. The objective of this work was to test the applicability of databases and platforms like the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS) to be used as a unified point to map and assess MES in Lithuanian marine area. To map different indicators of MES such as wave weight and direction as well as chlorophyll-a concentration, data was extracted from physical and biogeochemical model outputs within CMEMS, covering the whole extent of the Lithuanian Exclusive Economic Zone. From a user perspective, the use of CMEMS to map and assess MES, allows: (1) to overcome complex challenges such as ecological modelling, utilizing outputs directly; (2) to cover spatial and temporal extent in areas where information is scarce and (3) to have vertically resolved data, important for the understanding and mapping of MES. In this perspective, CMEMS plays and will potentially play a higher role towards the operationalization of MES, contributing to better and more informed decision in the sphere of marine environmental management.</p><p>This work has received funding from the European Social Fund project Lithuanian National Ecosystem Services Assessment and Mapping (LINESAM) No. 09.3.3-LMTK-712-01-0104 under grant agreement with the Research Council of Lithuania (LMTLT).</p>

scholarly journals The role of non-natural capital in the co-production of marine ecosystem services

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 35-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Outeiro ◽  
Elena Ojea ◽  
João Garcia Rodrigues ◽  
Amber Himes-Cornell ◽  
Andrea Belgrano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Marine Ecosystem Services

scholarly journals Reviewing the Ecosystem Services, Societal Goods, and Benefits of Marine Protected Areas

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Concepción Marcos ◽  
David Díaz ◽  
Katharina Fietz ◽  
Aitor Forcada ◽  
Amanda Ford ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Societal Benefit ◽  
Societal Benefits ◽  
Marine Ecosystem Services

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are globally important environmental management tools that provide protection from the effects of human exploitation and activities, supporting the conservation of marine biological diversity, habitats, ecosystems and the processes they host, as well as resources in a broad sense. Consequently, they are also expected to manage and enhance marine ecosystem services and material, non-material, consumptive and non-consumptive goods, and benefits for humans. There is however certain confusion on what constitutes an ecosystem service, and it is not always easy to distinguish between them and societal benefits. The main nuance is that an ecosystem service is the aptitude an ecosystem has or develops naturally or as consequence of a management action, and that manifests through its own properties (productivity, diversity, stability, quality of its key parameters, etc.), while a societal benefit is the economic or other profitability (emotional, educational, scientific, etc.) that humans obtain from said service or quality. In this work, 268 publications, together with our own experiences in the different investigations carried out in the MPAs that are part of the BiodivERsA3-2015-21 RESERVEBENEFIT European project, have been selected, reviewed and discussed to analyze the knowledge status of the expected ecosystem services of MPAs and the societal benefits derived from them, sometimes providing information on their evidence, when they exist. We define and classify the effects of protection, ecosystem services and societal benefits and elaborate a conceptual model of the cause-effect relationships between them.

scholarly journals A Benthic Zonation System as a Fundamental Tool for Natural Capital Assessment in a Marine Environment: A Case Study in the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 3786 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Marcelli ◽  
Sergio Scanu ◽  
Francesco Manfredi Frattarelli ◽  
Emanuele Mancini ◽  
Filippo Maria Carli
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Posidonia Oceanica ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Tyrrhenian Sea ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Joint Research ◽  
Accurate Identification ◽  
Marine Ecosystem Services

Coastal marine areas are characterized by the highest values of ecosystem services and by multiple uses that are often in conflict with each other. Natural capital analysis is claimed to be a valid tool to support space planning. In the context of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) of the European Union (EU), the EU Joint Research Centre (JRC) Scientific and Policy Report 2014 defines the monitoring of specific descriptors and their possible use, based on an ecosystem-services approach. Mediterranean marine ecosystems are characterized by high biodiversity and the presence of relevant benthic biocenosis that can be used as a tool to support coastal planning, conservation, and monitoring programs. In this study, we considered the Mediterranean benthic biocenosis, as classified by Pérès and Picard, as a working tool and propose a basic spatial unit for the assessment of marine ecosystem services. Focusing on a high-resolution local-scale analysis, this work presents an accurate identification of the different biocenoses for the coastal area of Civitavecchia in the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy, and ecosystem services, as well as a benefits assessment, of the Posidonia oceanica meadows.

scholarly journals A State-of-the-Art Review of Marine Ecosystem Services in the Rías Baixas Natura 2000 Network (Galicia, NW Spain)

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Tubío ◽  
Pablo Pita ◽  
Carlota Barañano ◽  
Sebastián Villasante
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Natura 2000 ◽  
Coastal Areas ◽  
Marine Biodiversity ◽  
Nw Spain ◽  
Natural Protected Areas ◽  
Marine Ecosystem Services ◽  
Rías Baixas

Humans are deeply connected to the oceans, who provide us vital ecosystem services (ES) (climate regulation, control of natural threats, wealth of its biodiversity, etc.), but the oceans are the first to suffer from human activity (climate change, destruction of ecosystems, overexploitation of marine resources, pollution, endangered species, etc.). Marine biodiversity is a fundamental natural capital in the generation of marine ecosystem services (MES), fundamental elements for the maintenance of human wellbeing. The objective of this article is to empirically demonstrate the role of marine ES in natural protected areas in Nature 2000 Rías Baixas (N2RB) (Galicia, NW Spain) in order to (1) to improve the knowledge on natural capital and ES associated to conserved coastal areas, (2) to analyze the contribution of these conserved coastal areas to the provision of sustainable business opportunities, and (3) to analyze if green-oriented policies can revert the current unsustainable exploitation model by providing real opportunities for business development. By creating an inventory, we gathered detailed information collected up to October 2020 of scientific literature, research projects, press releases, information on business initiatives and public policies regulations on ES and conservation of marine biodiversity in the N2RB (Cíes Islands and Island of Ons, including the Ons–O Grove Complex). Better protection of marine natural capital needs coordinated efforts among all sectors of government, business, and international institutions. It is a priority to generate a greater degree of social and business commitment that promotes the conservation of marine biodiversity, through the design of social and business participation strategies in the planning and use of ES in the N2RB areas.

scholarly journals Assessment of the Value of Services and Emergy in the Zhoushan Coastal Waters Ecosystem

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Chao LIU ◽  
Wanglai CUI ◽  
Haiping YANG ◽  
Xianjiong YU ◽  
Xiaoli YING
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Coastal Waters ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Reference Method ◽  
Scientific Management ◽  
Ecosystem Valuation ◽  
Regulation Services ◽  
Marine Ecosystem Services

Based on the four aspects of the marine ecosystem service system, namely supply, regulation, culture and support, the service function system of the marine ecosystem in the Zhoushan coastal area was constructed. The ecosystem valuation by assigning economic value to its services through valuation methods (the market value method, results reference method, shadow engineering method, replacement cost method) and the emergy analysis method were used to estimate the service value of the Zhoushan coastal marine ecosystem. The results revealed that in 2015, the total valuation of the marine ecosystem services of Zhoushan coastal water was 868.47×104 CNY, while the total emergy-currency value was 1246.92×108 CNY. The per unit valuation of the ecosystem services was 417.57×104 CNY/km2, while the per unit emergy-currency value is 600×104 CNY/km2. In the total valuation of the Zhoushan offshore ecosystem, the proportion of the values of supply services, regulating services, support services and cultural service was 11.80, 19.47, 29.66 and 39.6%, respectively. In the total emergy-currency value, the value of the supply services, regulation services and cultural services accounted for 9.19, 5.52 and 85.37% respectively. The results provide important reference for the maintenance and sustainable use of the marine ecosystem services, scientific management of the marine ecosystem in the Zhoushan coastal waters.

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