Transcript Socio-Economic Benefits of the Marine Natura 2000

Socio-Economic Benefits of the
Marine Natura 2000 Network
Daniela Russi & Marianne Kettunen
(on behalf of IEEP team)
Expert meeting on marine Natura 2000 sites
6 November 2015, Brussels
www.ieep.eu
@IEEP_eu
Why assessing socio-economic benefits of MPAs?
• Strong arguments in favour
of designation and good
management of MPAs
• Useful for awareness raising
activities
• Support to MPA management
→ increased political support
and buy-in of stakeholders
(e.g. fishermen, coastal communities)
→ Zoning, design of management
measures with conservation and
socio-economic benefit “win-wins”,
creating avenues for financing
Biophysical vs monetary valuations
• Socio-economic benefits of MPAs can be estimated in biophysical
and monetary terms
• Monetary evaluation to be used as a complement (not a
replacement) of biophysical indicators
• Useful to raise awareness about benefits of nature conservation,
especially of stakeholders not interested in environmental
sustainability
• Possible support to compensation and PES schemes
• Important to be aware of uncertainties and methodological
challenges
Our report
1. Fisheries/ spillover effect → improved fish
size/abundance in nearby fishing grounds
2. Climate change mitigation by carbon
capture and storage
3. Opportunities for nature-based tourism
and recreational activities
4. Protection of coastal areas from natural
hazards
5. Opportunities for blue-biotech and
research activities
6. Broader socio-economic benefits
contributing to regional/ local development
7. Non-use values of MPAs
Example: climate change mitigation
• Saltmarshes and seagrasses store high amounts of “blue carbon”
• They are being degraded at a worrying pace – the degradation of tidal
marshes, mangroves and seagrasses release an average of 0.45 Pg CO2 per
year, i.e. about the annual fossil fuel emissions of the UK
(Pendleton et al., 2012)
• MPAs can contribute to protect and improve these ecosystems, thereby
contributing to climate mitigation
Example: coastal security
• Seagrass beds, mudflats, saltmarshes and biogenic reeds can stabilise
sediments and reduce erosion, thereby mitigating the impact of tidal
surges, storms, waves and floods
• Will be increasingly important as contribution to climate change adaptation
• Important benefits to coastal populations → avoid damages to buildings,
infrastructure and people
Example: tourism/ recreation opportunities
• Coastal/marine tourism employs over 3.2 M people and generates
€183 billion per year in gross value added (half in the Mediterranean)
• More than 40% of the EU-27 population live in coastal areas → vast
recreational benefits for local residents
• Tourism can have destructive impacts on coastal/marine ecosystems
• The designation and good management of MPAs can support economic
opportunities and long term ecosystem protection
The role of MPAs
• The designation/good management of MPAs can ensure provision of
coastal/marine ES in the long term
• These ES can provide livelihood opportunities and income to different
categories of stakeholders
• Illustrating these benefits will increase stakeholder support and assist
MPA management
Improving the evidence base
• Some benefits provided by MPAs are currently more understood and
studied than others
• Important to improve the evidence base and fill information gaps
• Need to increase investments in research
• Importance of multidisciplinary collaboration among e.g. biologists,
economists, sociologists
Three case studies under development
• Posidonia Oceanica meadows – the most important carbon sink of
the Mediterranean
• Columbretes Islands (Spain) – the first quantification of the net
spillover effect
• Lyme Bay (UK) – a reserve providing important opportunities for
tourism businesses
Three cases studies still to choose
Options:
•
Saltmarshes, a natural defence for coastal areas (+ important carbon sinks)
•
Monetary valuation of three nature reserves in Belgium and the Netherlands
(increase in fish stock, carbon storage and recreation/ecotourism)
•
Monetary valuation of cultural ecosystem service values of UK MPAs (through
divers' and anglers' WTP for potential MPAs, combining travel cost and
contingent valuation methods)
•
Economic income from diving and ecotourism of a MPA in Sardinia, Italy
(based on travel cost method)
•
Economic valuation of ES provided by coastal habitats in Finland, Sweden,
and Lithuania through a WTP survey
•
Income generated by southern European MPAs by recreational uses
Other ideas from the MEG?
(First) Conclusions and future steps
•
Convincing body of evidence that marine and coastal ecosystems provide
wide range of ecosystem services => case for their protection and MPAs
•
Some benefits currently more understood and studied than others =>
need for improving knowledge base
•
Building on the above, clearly opportunities related to 1) using ES as
integral aspects of MPA management and 2) creating opportunities for
sustainable blue-green economy and MPAs
•
Next thing to explore: how to integrate ES into future management of
MPAs and a future vision for MPAs within blue green economy.
•
Ideas welcomed!
–
Survey FP7 OPERAs: How can the concept of ecosystem services be used
in the context of MPAs?
Thank you for your attention!
Please address any feedback/ ideas/ interesting
information you may have to:
Daniela Russi
[email protected]
Marianne Kettunen [email protected]
Mia Pantzar
[email protected]
www.ieep.eu
@IEEP_eu