Coastal Ecosystem Loss Carries Major Economic Costs

Researchers conducted a review to understand what estuarine and coastal ecosystems are worth to humanity, finding that while economic valuations exist for some services like those provided by coral reefs and salt marshes, many important benefits from seagrass beds and sand dunes remain unvalued despite extensive global losses of these habitats. The researchers reviewed existing literature to catalog ecosystem services across five major coastal habitat types (marshes, mangroves, coral reefs, seagrass beds, and sand beaches/dunes) and compiled available economic valuation estimates for these services, focusing on how changes in these ecosystems affect human welfare. Global habitat loss has already occurred: 50% of salt marshes, 35% of mangroves, 30% of coral reefs, and 29% of seagrasses are either lost or degraded worldwide. This habitat loss has caused measurable declines in ecosystem services: 33% decline in viable fisheries, 69% decline in nursery habitats, and 63% decline in filtering and detoxification services. Economic valuations exist for some services from coral reefs, salt marshes, and mangroves, but many important services like erosion control and pollution control have not been reliably valued. Connectivity between coastal ecosystems produces synergistic benefits that are much more significant than services from any single ecosystem alone. The research provides the economic framework needed to justify coastal conservation investments and shows that society is losing significant ecosystem services. Because many services remain unvalued, current estimates likely understate the true cost of coastal habitat destruction.

Citation

Barbier, Edward B.; Hacker, Sally D.; Kennedy, Chris; Koch, Evamaria W.; Stier, Adrian C.; Silliman, Brian R. (2011). The value of estuarine and coastal ecosystem services. Ecological Monographs.

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