Coastal and marine ecosystem services valuation for policy and management: Managed realignment case studies in England

The recognition of the economic value of nature and the services it provides to humanity has become increasingly essential in the context of coastal zone management. In this paper we review the progress to date on both the necessary conceptual framework and empirical valuation studies required to bolster decision support systems (DSS) targeted at integrated coastal zone management goals. We highlight the importance of using an ecosystem services approach and recommend some basic sequential, although overlapping, analytical steps for appropriate environmental valuation and policy assessment: spatial explicitness; marginal changes; double counting; non-linearities; and threshold effects. We illustrate the practical use of the DSS by reviewing an existing UK case study on managed coastal realignment along the Eastern coast of England, and a new UK case study on managed realignment implemented in a southern area on the same coast. Comparing the two studies, the importance of spatial explicitness and the need for a sequential decision support system when dealing with ecosystem services valuation and project policy appraisal become particularly evident.     

Willingness to pay for marine-based tourism in the Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve,Mozambique

Marine and coastal ecosystems face widespread degradation largely because market failure hides the economic value of the goods and services they provide. Marine protected areas (MPAs) can serve as structures that ensure the continued functioning of marine and coastal ecosystem goods and services. Yet, to be effective and sustainable, MPAs must be able to prove their economic worth and generate revenue. User-fee systems are used commonly to partially finance multi-use MPAs. This study applies contingent valuation as a method of economic valuation within an MPA in southern Mozambique. Using a payment card and questionnaire from November 2012 to April 2013, this study determined the willingness to pay (WTP) of three user groups for access to the Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve. The study also investigated the potential for the reserve to increase revenues for conservation through the implementation of a user fee for marine-based activities. Probit and ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions were used to determine the effects of various independent variables on WTP. The OLS model found income, African residency and environmental awareness to be significant factors that influenced visitors' WTP for access to the reserve. The mean WTP was R 43.75 (South African rands) per person per day. Using data supplied by the reserve management, conservative estimated annual revenues based on the implementation of this fee amount ranged between R 1.46 million and R 3.3 million.     

Has the value of global marine and coastal ecosystem services changed?

In 1997, Robert Costanza and his colleagues published a groundbreaking study [1] that estimated the monetary value of the contribution of the world's ecosystems to human wellbeing. The methods used were cited as preliminary and received considerable criticism [2], [3]. In two more recent peer-reviewed studies [4], [5], the authors update the original estimates of ecosystem service value and find: (1) that original per area ecosystem service values were underestimated and (2) using these revised per area values, the total global value of ecosystem services has declined. Just under ninety-five percent of the estimated loss in ecosystem service value comes from revisions by the authors in the value estimates of marine ecosystem services. These revisions include additional per area value estimates of coral reefs and coastal wetlands that are many times the value of estimates used in the original analysis. The reasons cited by Costanza et al. for the increases in revised value estimates are examined and rejected. The data are found to be insufficient for a rigorous estimate of the global value of marine ecosystems services.     

面向滨海湿地修复治理的生态系统服务净价值遥感评估研究——以黄河口湿地为例

文章以黄河口湿地为研究区,在生态系统服务价值概念的基础上,提出了一种考虑成本投入的生态系统服务净价值估算方法,通过时间序列遥感监测,估算并分析了2019—2022年的黄河口湿地生态系统服务净价值。结果表明：（1）在黄河口湿地的11种生态系统服务类型中,生物多样性、固碳、食物供给和消浪护岸是主导生态系统服务,浅海水域、芦苇、盐地碱蓬和潮滩净价值能力较强。2022年生态系统服务净价值比2021年减少了4.08亿元,主要是2022年净价值能力较强的盐地碱蓬大面积消失导致。（2）尽管在2019年和2020年,典型生态修复项目在施工后的第一年净效益呈现负值,但应发挥的生态系统服务净价值已达到预期。（3）通过敏感性分析证明了消浪护岸、食物供给、固碳和生物多样性在众多生态系统服务中具有重要作用。生态系统服务净价值估算可以比较分析不同的湿地类型产生的最大净价值,为合理的规划和管理滨海湿地生态系统提供科学依据。     

海岸带自然资源价值评估的研究现状与趋势

海岸带生态系统服务和资源价值评估是海岸带国民经济核算体系的基础，是实现海岸带资源优化配置和海岸带综合管理的重要环节。本文从资源价值观、评估方法和应用研究等方面，评述了国内外近20年来对海岸带生态系统服务和资源价值评估研究现状，分析了目前研究存在的难点和不足以及主要研究趋向。指出海岸带生态系统服务和资源价值的发生机理研究、区域异质性研究、建立和完善价值估算的数据库体系、建立为海岸带综合管理服务的生态-经济-环境综合核算体系是今后相关研究中亟待解决的重点问题。     

围填海对海洋生态系统服务功能价值的损失评估———以烟台芝罘湾为例

围填海会对海洋生态环境产生负面影响,并导致海洋生态系统服务功能损失,开展围填海海洋生态系统服务功能价值评估对于海域资源的节约集约利用和可持续发展具有重要作用。文章基于烟台芝罘湾海域生态系统服务特点,采用功能价值法,构建并优化涵盖供给、调节、支持和文化4项服务功能的近海生态系统服务功能指标体系和价值评估模型,选择烟台芝罘...     

海洋生态系统内在价值评估方法初探——以厦门湾为例

海洋和海岸带生态系统价值的科学评估对海洋与海岸带开发决策起着重要的支撑作用.目前盛行的生态系统服务价值评估是从生态系统对人类的效用的角度衡量生态系统的价值,而缺乏从生态系统自身的角度进行客观评估.首先分析了生态系统内在价值的内涵,提出基于能值和ecoexergy两种系统生态学方法的价值评估框架,建立了一套海洋生态系统内在价值较为有效的评估方法.该框架先通过能值计算将生态系统的生物成分、非生物成分及物种多样性转换为能值货币价值,再通过eco-exergy来体现生态系统的结构与功能过程,并转换为eco-exergy货币价值.最后将该评估框架应用于厦门湾海洋生态系统内在价值的评估.结果显示,2010年厦门湾海洋生态系统的本底内在价值为1.16×10^11CNY,全年创造内在价值为9.24×10^10CNY,总计2.09×10^11CNY,远高于生态系统服务价值7.27×10^9CNY和厦门海洋产业GDP 2.47×10^10CNY.     

Economic value of marine ecosystem services in Zanzibar: Implications for marine conservation and sustainable development

Marine ecosystem services are seriously undervalued, resulting in under-investment in conservation and lost opportunities for economic growth and poverty reduction. Economic valuation provides a powerful tool for sustainable development by showing how dependent the economy is on an ecosystem and what would be lost if the ecosystem is not protected. This paper estimates the value of marine ecosystem services in Zanzibar, links the values to the national income accounts, and quantifies how the benefits from each ecosystem service are distributed among five different stakeholder groups. Marine ecosystem services contribute 30% of GDP, yet the ecosystem is seriously degraded due to both human and natural causes. The paper explores the reasons for this, focusing on the distribution of benefits and the (dis)incentives this creates for conservation, especially among local communities that steward the marine ecosystem.     

Study of coastal water zone ecosystem health in Zhejiang Province based on remote sensing data and GIS

The coastal ecosystem health assessment is a field of increasing importance. In this paper, a preliminary assessment of ecosystem health in Zhejiang coastal water zone was made, mainly based on remote sensing data and GIS technique. Its spatial and quantitative evaluation was facilitated by the progress of remote sensing and GIS technique development. Firstly, human activities, hydrology and ecosystem problems in the study area were discussed and analyzed. Secondly, from 4 aspects of human stress, physical, chemical and biological responses to anthropogenic activities and natural stress, several indicators such as water transparency (Secchi Disk Depth, SDD), suspended substance concentration, dissolved inorganic nitrogen, active phosphate, chlorophyll, harmful algae bloom, as well as distribution of sewage, sea lanes and port were employed. Thirdly, the Analytic Hierarchical Process was used for indicator weight calculation, and the ecosystem health criteria were established according to the integrative analysis of national water quality criteria, similar coastal ecosystem health research in other places or data inherent properties. The results indicated that from 2005 to 2007 the coastal water ecosystem health value in Zhejiang Province was unhealthy and needs ecological restoration by human intervention.     

海岸带生境破坏影响因素及整治修复策略研究

海岸带是海陆交汇的地带,也是海洋资源富集区和海洋经济发展的重要基础。海岸带生态系统具有十分重要的经济和生态服务功能,是生态系统平衡的脆弱地带,但目前由于气候变化、生物入侵、海洋污染和人为开发活动等因素,其生境出现退化。文章简述了我国海岸带生境破坏的主要因素,总结国内外海岸带研究与管理,并给出了海岸带整治修复的技术策略,为整治修复工程项目的更好开展提供依据参考,从而促进海岸带的可持续利用,推动沿海地区海洋经济发展和海洋生态文明建设。     

New metrics for managing and sustaining the ocean's bounty

Policies are arising around the world, most recently in the United States, that mandate the implementation of marine spatial planning as a practical pathway towards ecosystem-based management. In the new United States ocean policy, and several other cases around the globe, ecosystem services are at the core of marine spatial planning, but there is little guidance on how ecosystem services should be measured, making it hard to implement this new approach. A new framework is shown here for practical, rigorous ecosystem service measurement that highlights contributions from both natural and social systems. The novel three-step framework addresses traditional shortcomings of an ecosystem services approach by giving managers and scientists the tools to assess and track: (1) the condition of the ecosystem (supply metrics), (2) the amount of ocean resources actually used or enjoyed by people (service metrics), and (3) people's preference for that level of service (value metrics). This framework will allow real world progress on marine spatial planning to happen quickly, and with a greater chance for success.     

Resilience: What is it and what does it mean for marine policymakers?

Marine policymakers are facing increasing calls to consider the resilience of communities that rely on coastal and marine ecosystem goods and services, and the resilience of natural systems themselves. These calls are in response to increasing threats to coastal communities from external factors such as coastal hazards, possibly associated with climate change, reductions in natural capital often caused by over-fishing and invasive species, and drivers that act to change local and regional economic conditions leading to changes in employment and inequality. However, most communities have had little experience in explicitly managing for resilience. Similarly, our understanding of the factors that make a natural or social system resilient is also somewhat limited. Furthermore, there is a lack of consensus-based definitions and performance measures for assessing resilience. These factors, along with other barriers, will need to be overcome before effective resilience-based management can be implemented.     

海南临高海岸带典型生态环境问题与对策研究

为改善临高县海岸带生态环境、提升海岸带生态价值及保障海岸带生态安全,文章在实地考察、文献查阅和资料梳理的基础上,概述了当前临高县海岸带面临的典型生态环境问题,分析生态环境退化的主要原因,提出了海岸带保护修复的对策建议。研究结果表明：临高海岸带地区砂质海岸、红树林、珊瑚礁和白蝶贝等面临较严重的海岸侵蚀、生态环境退化和生物资源枯竭等问题;砂质海岸侵蚀主要受海平面上升、风暴潮等自然因素影响,红树林生态系统主要受围海养殖、环境污染影响,珊瑚礁、白蝶贝等海洋生态系统则主要受渔业捕捞、水体污染等人为活动影响;基于海岸生态退化现状及原因分析,提出文澜河口、抱吴港等岸段开展沙滩喂养及生态堤建设,新盈湾、黄龙湾、金牌湾等重点区实施红树林修复,珊瑚礁、白蝶贝保育区加强自然封育、严防人工干扰等建议措施。     

Ecosystem services of the tropical seascape: interactions,substitutions and restoration

The tropical coastal “seascape” often includes a patchwork of mangroves, seagrass beds, and coral reefs that produces a variety of natural resources and ecosystem services. By looking into a limited number of attempts at substitution and restoration of ecosystem services (e.g. artificial reefs, aquaculture in mangroves, artificial seawalls), we address the questions: (1) To what degree can technologies substitute for ecosystem services in the seascape? (2) How can ecosystem restoration reestablish not only the functions of direct value to humans, but also the ability of the systems to cope with future disturbance? Substitutions often imply the replacement of a function provided free by a solar powered, self-repairing resilient ecosystem, with a fossil-fuel-powered, expensive, artificial substitute that needs maintenance. Further, restoration usually does not focus on large-scale processes such as the physical, biological and biogeochemical interactions between mangroves, seagrass beds and coral reefs. Nonetheless, restoration might be the only viable management alternative when the system is essentially locked into an undesired community state (stability domain) after a phase-shift. We conclude that ecosystem services cannot be readily replaced, restored or sustained without extensive knowledge of the dynamics, multifunctionality and interconnectedness of ecosystems.     

海岸带韧性:陆海统筹生态管理的核心机制

为满足新时代自然资源综合研究和管理的迫切需求,深入落实陆海统筹的战略部署,文章分析陆海统筹生态管理及其核心机制,即海岸带韧性。研究结果表明:陆海统筹生态管理的有效开展将对协调我国海岸带社会经济高质量发展和生态系统适应性管理,解决海岸带土地利用和海域使用的空间统筹、淡水和咸水的环境质量统筹以及洄游动物的生境修复统筹等基本问题发挥至关重要的作用;韧性聚焦复杂非线性系统的状态转换和突变过程,可研究耦合系统的多要素测度,有助于识别和分析海岸带面临的复杂压力和潜在风险,其本质是陆海统筹生态管理的核心机制;通过海岸带土地-水-生物多样性的联结,构建海岸带韧性研究新框架,以实现海岸带韧性的多维时空测度以及社会-生态耦合系统的转型模式应用,可服务于海岸带系统评价、空间规划和综合管理,支撑科学决策。     

基于水动力ROMS与BOX耦合模型的长江口及邻近水域水通量及水体交换特性

本研究将水动力模型ROMS(regional oceanic modeling system,区域海洋模式系统)与箱式(box)模型结合,详细阐述了长江口及邻近水域四个季节的水通量特征及水体交换特性。研究发现:总的水通量整体受季风控制,季风的作用在于使水体在南北方向上交替输送,而台湾暖流对春夏季底层水南向输运具有重要作用;直接进入123.5°E以东外海区域的水通量很小,而是先从南边界流出研究区域,然后通过海洋环流系统进入外海。在强烈季风下,水体更新依赖于季风方向的水平通量,主要是同层水体而不是表底层水体之间的交换。虽然水体更新时间较长的区域与缺氧区基本一致,但本研究认为该区域底层水体缺氧的本质原因是跃层阻隔了表底层水体之间的交换。     

海岸带开发的可持续性探讨

以海带为研究对象,探讨了影响岸带环境系统可持续性的相关因素,在将人类社会经济活动纳入统一的海岸带生态系统范范畴的前提下,提出了海岸带开发的可持续性判定因子。指出,实现海岸带的可持续发展,必须树立新的社会经济－生态环境观,以海岸带社会,经济,环境的协调发展为基础理念,实施一体化管理,依赖科技进步,确保环境资源的消耗与补给达到动态平衡,通过动态规划和及时的反馈调整,最终走出持续发展之路。     

Assessment of coastal management options by means of multilayered ecosystem models

This paper presents a multilayered ecosystem modelling approach that combines the simulation of the biogeochemistry of a coastal ecosystem with the simulation of the main forcing functions, such as catchment loading and aquaculture activities. This approach was developed as a tool for sustainable management of coastal ecosystems. A key feature is to simulate management scenarios that account for changes in multiple uses and enable assessment of cumulative impacts of coastal activities. The model was applied to a coastal zone in China with large aquaculture production and multiple catchment uses, and where management efforts to improve water quality are under way. Development scenarios designed in conjunction with local managers and aquaculture producers include the reduction of fish cages and treatment of wastewater. Despite the reduction in nutrient loading simulated in three different scenarios, inorganic nutrient concentrations in the bay were predicted to exceed the thresholds for poor quality defined by Chinese seawater quality legislation. For all scenarios there is still a Moderate High to High nutrient loading from the catchment, so further reductions might be enacted, together with additional decreases in fish cage culture. The model predicts that overall, shellfish production decreases by 10%–28% using any of these development scenarios, principally because shellfish growth is being sustained by the substances to be reduced for improvement of water quality. The model outcomes indicate that this may be counteracted by zoning of shellfish aquaculture at the ecosystem level in order to optimize trade-offs between productivity and environmental effects. The present case study exemplifies the value of multilayered ecosystem modelling as a tool for Integrated Coastal Zone Management and for the adoption of ecosystem approaches for marine resource management. This modelling approach can be applied worldwide, and may be particularly useful for the application of coastal management regulation, for instance in the implementation of the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive.     

The value of marine biodiversity to the leisure and recreation industry and its application to marine spatial planning

The incorporation of the ecosystem approach into marine planning requires that all aspects of value associated with marine biodiversity are incorporated into the decision making process. An ecosystem services approach to valuing marine biodiversity is recognised as a framework by which economic, ecological and social values may be incorporated into the decision making process. There are sectors of the marine leisure and recreation industry (sub-aqua diving, sea angling and wildlife watching), which depend on the presence of natural marine resources in order to carry out their activity. Estimating the value of this direct use can provide an evidence base for the sustainable use of marine biodiversity when set against other competing economic interests in marine spatial planning. In the case study area of Lyme Bay, the marine leisure and recreation industry has been valued using both monetary and non-monetary methods. The results show that the leisure and recreation industry is dependent on the diversity of sites (many of which are currently unmanaged) and that the industry is of economic significance and an area which has recently been closed to trawling activity enables the protection of some of the most valuable sites but has limited benefits for protecting the full resource base upon which this local industry depends.     

Human empowerment: Opportunities from ocean governance

Stimulus to reach the millennium goals of poverty abatement and empowerment, including education and employment, for the large part of the population in the coastal zone can be found in the resources and services of oceans and coasts; the required financial means, given political will and right priorities, can be provided through implementation of the related international conventions, in particular UNCLOS with the EEZ, the Common Heritage of Mankind and other provisions, Agenda 21 [1] of UNCED and the WSSD 2002 Ocean Targets; the motivation is the necessity to address over-exploitation, depletion and destruction of resources, habitats and coastal ecosystem services, global changes, as well as economic transformations and social conditions of poverty, employment and unequity. Achieving adequate management and protection of natural assets as ecosystems and their services, habitats, biodiversity requires that the socio-economic and human security needs of the coastal populations are met. One way to reach the goal is to enable them, representing about 50% of the global population and increasing, to fight poverty and cope with uncertainties and changing conditions of employment, environment and sustainability through proper governance of the coastal and ocean assets. This includes provision of education and knowledge as regards these assets and their proper uses. They include energy, water, food, transportation and trade, communication, coastal developments, tourism, recreation and ecosystem services, as well as the need to properly manage them.The present economic system cannot fully harmonize with the required governance, partly since the ecosystem resources and services are not internalised in the market-oriented system. This calls for a revised education and training system, more comprehensive than the present, taking into account the social, cultural and environmental requirements, and stressing the sustainable development paradigm. In order to achieve ocean governance and comprehensive human security an understanding of the system is needed. This is substantiated through the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development as well as the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment.The aim here is to discuss some of the issues in context of implementation of related ocean conventions and commitments, which include achieving ocean governance, and to elucidate opportunities given by oceans and coasts, also in generating employment and providing for basic human needs.