Challenges and Sensitivities in Assessing Total Ecosystem Service Values: Lessons From Vanuatu for the Pacific

Buckwell, Andrew; Fleming, Christopher; Smart, James C. R.; Ware, D. M.; Mackey, Brendan

doi:10.1177/1070496520937033

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 81 publications

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“…The results from this research are helping inform local adaptation decision-making through an ongoing collaboration with the Tafea Provincial Government and the Tanna Communities (Buckwell et al 2020a, b). Sharing knowledge of the risks associated with heavy rainfall events that may trigger cliff collapse can further safeguard the community.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…The Port Resolution community comprises approximately 280 ha of land and 150 ha of inshore coastal coral reef and inshore lagoon. (Buckwell et al 2020a, b).…”

Section: Site Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to the efficacy of an intervention to address the cliff erosion, other factors need to be taken into account when evaluating adaptation options including (a) the design, construction, and maintenance costs; (b) how they affect or are affected by existing policy and planning such as national guidelines and local government spatial zoning; and (c) their social acceptability which reflects local social and cultural norm, needs, and aspirations (Buckwell et al 2020a). Here we focus on the direct design, construction, and maintenance costs, acknowledging that indirect costs, such as loss of income or nonmarket costs such as loss of community cultural values, were not considered.…”

Section: Adaptations Options and Their Cost-benefitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effective coastal adaptation needs accurate hazard assessment: a case study in Port Resolution, Tanna Island Vanuatu

et al. 2022

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Developing countries face risks from coastal hazards that are being amplified by climate change. The selection of effective adaptation interventions to manage these risks requires a sufficiently accurate assessment of the coastal hazard at a given location. Yet challenges remain in terms of understanding local coastal risks given the coarseness of global wave models and the paucity of locally scaled data in most developing countries, including Small Island Developing States (SIDS) like Vanuatu. This paper aims to examine the differences in hazard assessment and adaptation option selections arising from analyses using globally versus locally scaled data on coastal processes. As a case study, we focused on an eroding cliff face in Port Resolution on Tanna Island, Vanuatu, which is of concern to the local community and government authorities. The coastal process modeling revealed that the global wave data generated unrealistically high predictions of wave height within Port Resolution Bay. Expensive engineering adaptations designed to provide coastal protection were therefore likely to fail in preventing ongoing cliff erosion. In this case, the best adaptation solution involves changing land use to revegetate and help stabilize the cliff top. Our case study highlights the importance of accurate hazard assessment, especially in data-poor regions where the extrapolation of global datasets and models in the absence of local data can result in poor adaptation decision-making. Furthermore, the multidisciplinary approach applied here can be applied in other data-poor regions to strengthen analyses exploring the benefits of local adaptation interventions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…The Port Resolution community comprises approximately 280 ha of land and 150 ha of inshore coastal coral reef and inshore lagoon. (Buckwell et al 2020a, b).…”

Section: Site Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Adaptations Options and Their Cost-benefitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effective coastal adaptation needs accurate hazard assessment: a case study in Port Resolution, Tanna Island Vanuatu

et al. 2022

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“…Maintaining biological EOVs is especially important under climate change, since stock productivity is mostly negatively affected by climate change, though examples do exist where ocean warming might improve the degree of sustainable landings (FAO, 2020). The spatial gaps in the coverage of long-term observations off the coasts of many countries highlights the challenge faced by nations in supporting sustained observations of their marine environment, despite the importance of ocean observations for food security and the general economy (Buckwell et al, 2020).…”

Section: Enhance Data Accessibility Through Data Management Support and Incentivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Establishing the Foundation for the Global Observing System for Marine Life

et al. 2021

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Maintaining healthy, productive ecosystems in the face of pervasive and accelerating human impacts including climate change requires globally coordinated and sustained observations of marine biodiversity. Global coordination is predicated on an understanding of the scope and capacity of existing monitoring programs, and the extent to which they use standardized, interoperable practices for data management. Global coordination also requires identification of gaps in spatial and ecosystem coverage, and how these gaps correspond to management priorities and information needs. We undertook such an assessment by conducting an audit and gap analysis from global databases and structured surveys of experts. Of 371 survey respondents, 203 active, long-term (>5 years) observing programs systematically sampled marine life. These programs spanned about 7% of the ocean surface area, mostly concentrated in coastal regions of the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia. Seagrasses, mangroves, hard corals, and macroalgae were sampled in 6% of the entire global coastal zone. Two-thirds of all observing programs offered accessible data, but methods and conditions for access were highly variable. Our assessment indicates that the global observing system is largely uncoordinated which results in a failure to deliver critical information required for informed decision-making such as, status and trends, for the conservation and sustainability of marine ecosystems and provision of ecosystem services. Based on our study, we suggest four key steps that can increase the sustainability, connectivity and spatial coverage of biological Essential Ocean Variables in the global ocean: (1) sustaining existing observing programs and encouraging coordination among these; (2) continuing to strive for data strategies that follow FAIR principles (findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable); (3) utilizing existing ocean observing platforms and enhancing support to expand observing along coasts of developing countries, in deep ocean basins, and near the poles; and (4) targeting capacity building efforts. Following these suggestions could help create a coordinated marine biodiversity observing system enabling ecological forecasting and better planning for a sustainable use of ocean resources.

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“…In addition to the e cacy of an intervention to address the cliff erosion, other factors need to be taken in account when evaluating adaptation options including: (a) the design, construction and maintenance costs; (b) how they affect or are affected by existing policy and planning such as national guidelines and local government spatial zoning; and (c) their social acceptability which re ects local social and cultural norm, needs and aspirations (Buckwell et al, 2020a). Here we focus on the direct design, construction, and maintenance costs, acknowledging that indirect costs, such as loss of income or nonmarket costs such as loss of community cultural values -were not considered.…”

Section: Adaptations Options and Their Cost-bene Tsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effective Coastal Adaptation Needs Accurate Hazard Assessment : A Case Study In Port Resolution, Tanna Island Vanuatu

Faivre

Tomlinson

Ware

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Developing countries face risks from natural hazards that are being amplified by climate change. Selection of effective adaptation interventions to manage these risks requires a sufficiently accurate assessment of the coastal hazard at a given location. Yet challenges remain in terms of understanding local coastal risks given the coarseness of global wave models and the paucity of locally scaled data in most developing countries, including Small Island Developing States (SIDS) like Vanuatu. The aim of this paper was to examine the differences in hazard assessment and adaptation option selections arising from analyses using globally versus locally scaled data on coastal processes. As a case study, we focused on an eroding cliff face in Port Resolution on Tanna Island, Vanuatu, which is of concern to the local community and government authorities. The coastal process modelling revealed that the global wave data generated unrealistically high predictions of wave height within Port Resolution bay. Expensive engineering adaptations designed to provide coastal protection were therefore likely to fail in preventing ongoing cliff erosion. In this case, the best adaptation solution involves changing land use to revegetate and help stabilise the cliff top. Our case study highlights the importance of accurate hazard assessment, especially in data poor regions where extrapolation of global datasets and models in the absence of local data can result in poor adaptation decision making. Furthermore, the multidisciplinary approach applied here can be applied in other data-poor regions to strengthen analyses exploring the benefits of local adaptation interventions.

show abstract

Challenges and Sensitivities in Assessing Total Ecosystem Service Values: Lessons From Vanuatu for the Pacific

Cited by 7 publications

References 81 publications

Effective coastal adaptation needs accurate hazard assessment: a case study in Port Resolution, Tanna Island Vanuatu

Effective coastal adaptation needs accurate hazard assessment: a case study in Port Resolution, Tanna Island Vanuatu

Establishing the Foundation for the Global Observing System for Marine Life

Effective Coastal Adaptation Needs Accurate Hazard Assessment : A Case Study In Port Resolution, Tanna Island Vanuatu

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