Ecosystem service valuations of mangrove ecosystems to inform decision making and future valuation exercises

Nibedita Mukherjee; William J Sutherland; Lynn Dicks; Jean Hugé; Nico Koedam; Farid Dahdouh-Guebas

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0107706

Ecosystem service valuations of mangrove ecosystems to inform decision making and future valuation exercises

PLoS One. 2014 Sep 22;9(9):e107706. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0107706. eCollection 2014.

Authors

Nibedita Mukherjee¹, William J Sutherland², Lynn Dicks², Jean Hugé³, Nico Koedam⁴, Farid Dahdouh-Guebas¹

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Systems Ecology and Resource Management, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium; Laboratory of Plant Biology and Nature Management, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
² Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England, United Kingdom.
³ Laboratory of Systems Ecology and Resource Management, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium; Centre for Sustainable Development, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium.
⁴ Laboratory of Plant Biology and Nature Management, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.

Abstract

The valuation of ecosystem services is a complex process as it includes several dimensions (ecological, socio-cultural and economic) and not all of these can be quantified in monetary units. The aim of this paper is to conduct an ecosystem services valuation study for mangroves ecosystems, the results of which can be used to inform governance and management of mangroves. We used an expert-based participatory approach (the Delphi technique) to identify, categorize and rank the various ecosystem services provided by mangrove ecosystems at a global scale. Subsequently we looked for evidence in the existing ecosystem services literature for monetary valuations of these ecosystem service categories throughout the biogeographic distribution of mangroves. We then compared the relative ranking of ecosystem service categories between the monetary valuations and the expert based analysis. The experts identified 16 ecosystem service categories, six of which are not adequately represented in the literature. There was no significant correlation between the expert based valuation (the Delphi technique) and the economic valuation, indicating that the scope of valuation of ecosystem services needs to be broadened. Acknowledging this diversity in different valuation approaches, and developing methodological frameworks that foster the pluralism of values in ecosystem services research, are crucial for maintaining the credibility of ecosystem services valuation. To conclude, we use the findings of our dual approach to valuation to make recommendations on how to assess and manage the ecosystem services provided by mangrove ecosystems.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Avicennia*
Decision Making*
Delphi Technique
Ecosystem*
Models, Economic

Grants and funding

NM was funded by the ‘Mandat d'Impulsion Scientifique’ (MIS ID 1765914) of the National Science Foundation (FNRS), Belgium and “CREC” (EU IRSES # 247514). NM would like to thank the British Ecological Society for the Parkyn bursary that made this research possible. WJS is funded by Arcadia. LD is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (Grant codes NE/K015419/1, NE/J500665/1). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.