Economic valuation for the conservation of marine biodiversity

Policy makers are increasingly recognising the role of environmental valuation to guide and support the management and conservation of biodiversity. This paper presents a goods and services approach to determine the economic value of marine biodiversity in the UK, with the aim of clarifying the role...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine pollution bulletin 2008-03, Vol.56 (3), p.386-396
Main Authors: Beaumont, N.J., Austen, M.C., Mangi, S.C., Townsend, M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Applied ecology
Biodiversity
Biological and medical sciences
Conservation of Natural Resources - economics
Conservation of Natural Resources - methods
Cost-Benefit Analysis
Cultural services
Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution
Environmental Health - economics
Environmental Health - methods
Environmental management
Fisheries - economics
Fisheries - methods
Fishes
Food Chain
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Goods and services
Humans
Marine and brackish environment
Marine Biology
Production services
Recreation - economics
Regulation services
Sea water ecosystems
Supporting services
Synecology
United Kingdom
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Summary:Policy makers are increasingly recognising the role of environmental valuation to guide and support the management and conservation of biodiversity. This paper presents a goods and services approach to determine the economic value of marine biodiversity in the UK, with the aim of clarifying the role of valuation in the management of marine biodiversity. The goods and services resulting from UK marine biodiversity are detailed, and 8 of the 13 services are valued in monetary terms. It is found that a decline in UK marine biodiversity could result in a varying, and at present unpredictable, change in the provision of goods and services, including reduced resilience and resistance to change, declining marine environmental health, reduced fisheries potential, and loss of recreational opportunities. The results suggest that this approach can facilitate biodiversity management by enabling the optimal allocation of limited management resources and through raising awareness of the importance of marine biodiversity.
ISSN:0025-326X
1879-3363
DOI:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2007.11.013