Understanding the value that humans place on the marine environment is important in making the trade-offs that need to be made in Integrated Marine Spatial Management. The EMB Working Group on Valuing Marine Ecosystems will highlight the tools and frameworks used for the valuation of marine ecosystem services and their benefits and the utilization of these tools in decision making for the sustainable management of coasts, seas and ocean.
Future Science Brief 5, Valuing Marine Ecosystem Services (April 2019)
News article on the launch event at the European Parliament (April 2019)
Launch event report (April 2019)
Marine research has traditionally focused on physical, chemical and biological processes in the water body and its boundaries, whereas the field of marine related socio‐economics is much less studied and understood. Understanding the mechanisms and ways by which humans utilize marine resources and space directly or indirectly is essential for an integrated assessment and management of the coasts, seas and oceans, and will require an innovative interdisciplinary research approach. It is also an intrinsic requirement for achieving a genuine ecosystem approach to the management of marine resources.
Our foresight activity on Valuing Marine Ecosystems specifically targets the development of tools for the valuation of marine ecosystem services and their benefits and the utilization of these tools to facilitate decision making processes and sustainable management of coasts, seas and oceans and their intrinsic resources.
Contact at European Marine Board Secretariat: Joke Coopman Email