The value of estuarine and coastal ecosystem services

Abstract

Abstract. The global decline in estuarine and coastal ecosystems (ECEs) is affecting a number of critical benefits, or ecosystem services. We review the main ecological services across a variety of ECEs, including marshes, mangroves, nearshore coral reefs, seagrass beds, and sand beaches and dunes. Where possible, we indicate estimates of the key economic values arising from these services, and discuss how the natural variability of ECEs impacts their benefits, the synergistic relationships of ECEs across seascapes, and management implications. Although reliable valuation estimates are beginning to emerge for the key services of some ECEs, such as coral reefs, salt marshes, and mangroves, many of the important benefits of seagrass beds and sand dunes and beaches have not been assessed properly. Even for coral reefs, marshes, and mangroves, important ecological services have yet to be valued reliably, such as cross-ecosystem nutrient transfer (coral reefs), erosion control (marshes), and pollution control (mangroves). An important issue for valuing certain ECE services, such as coastal protection and habitat-fishery linkages, is that the ecological functions underlying these services vary spatially and temporally. Allowing for the connectivity between ECE habitats also may have important implications for assessing the ecological functions underlying key ecosystems services, such coastal protection, control of erosion, and habitat-fishery linkages. Finally, we conclude by suggesting an action plan for protecting and/or enhancing the immediate and longer-term values of ECE services. Because the connectivity of ECEs across land-sea gradients also influences the provision of certain ecosystem services, management of the entire seascape will be necessary to preserve such synergistic effects. Other key elements of an action plan include further ecological and economic collaborative research on valuing ECE services, improving institutional and legal frameworks for management, controlling and regulating destructive economic activities, and developing ecological restoration options.

Marine debris: A proximate threat to marine sustainability in Bootless Bay, Papua New Guinea

“…Progressive harvesting over past decades, and which continues today, has resulted in loss of much of the mangal cover -this may have considerable flow-on effects through loss of a range of ecosystem services (e.g. Barbier et al, 2011;Warren-Rhodes et al, 2011). Mangrove removal has consequences for adjacent reefs through loss of nursery habitat for fish (e.g.…”

Spatiotemporal Variation in Mangrove Chlorophyll Concentration Using Landsat 8

“…Worldwide, Mexico ranks fourth in terms of mangrove coverage (742,000 ha), with 55% of the coverage distributed along the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. Mangrove forests provide a wealth of direct and indirect ecosystem services such as natural protection barriers and nursery habitat for marine organisms [2][3][4][5]. Further, the ability of mangrove forests to act as a carbon (C) sink has been the focus of recent research.…”

Artificial structures in sediment-dominated estuaries and their possible influences on the ecosystem

“…The loss of many primordial estuarine habitats such as mussel beds and seagrass beds has impaired important ecosystem services and benefits (Coen et al, 2007;Barbier et al, 2011). Many of these services, such as water purification by filter feeders and seagrass beds, or the availability of nursery habitats provided by biogenic reefs, have been severely reduced or even eliminated over the last centuries (cf.…”

“…These habitats with their high structural complexity are essential in protecting juvenile fish and many invertebrate species from predation (cf. Barbier et al, 2011). Though groynes and jetties represent artificial substrates, their structure is highly complex on a macro-scale (>10 cm) and provides a combination of hard substrate, crevices, pits, and rock pools which provide refuges for many species (Bracewell et al, 2012;Cartwright and Williams, 2012).…”

“…For example, the annual benefit provided by estuaries for human welfare is estimated alone for nutrient cycling at 21,100 US$ ha À1 yr À1 (Costanza, 1997), the highest estimate in their study which ranks before all seagrass and algae beds combined (19,002 US$ ha À1 yr À1 ). Likewise, water filtration by estuarine mussels and clams is an important ecosystem service (Coen et al, 2007;Barbier et al, 2011). For example, laboratory studies have indicated that mussel filtration can significantly decrease chlorophyll-a concentrations (e.g.…”