E-Thesis 212 views 69 downloads
A non-monetary scale for the evaluation of tropical seagrass ecosystem services in the Indo-Pacific through meta-analysis / NICHOLAS HARMAN
Swansea University Author: NICHOLAS HARMAN
Abstract
Ecosystem service valuation is the process by which naturally occurring services, like carbon storage, can be valued, most commonly in the form of financial valuation. However, monetary valuation can undervalue services that do not provide much economic gain but are still biologically or culturally...
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Swansea
2022
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| Institution: | Swansea University |
| Degree level: | Master of Research |
| Degree name: | MSc by Research |
| Supervisor: | Unsworth, Richard ; Neyland, Penny |
| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa59392 |
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| Abstract: |
Ecosystem service valuation is the process by which naturally occurring services, like carbon storage, can be valued, most commonly in the form of financial valuation. However, monetary valuation can undervalue services that do not provide much economic gain but are still biologically or culturally important. Ecosystem services are generally classified into four categories Cultural, Regulation, Supporting and Provisioning services. This study aims to create a non-monetary scoring system for the valuation of ecosystem services. To do this, I will be using seagrass in the Indo-Pacific region as a case study. Non-monetary valuation is a method by which a numeric value can be assigned to these services, independent of financial value, allowing factors such as fisheries productivity, a provisioning service, to be compared with cultural, supporting and regulating benefits independent of money. These non-monetary systems have previously been vague or difficult to apply for decision-makers. Using Indo-Pacific seagrass meadows as a case study, I present a non-monetary data-driven valuation system that eliminates some of the bias found in other monetary systems and provides a clear points based score for the ecosystem. Literature searching returned 31 papers assessing organic carbon storage covering 68 meadows in 12 countries and one territory, and the sampling depth ranged from 3-140cm. Two were found with BRUV (Baited Remote Underwater Video) data, which were combined with multiple unpublished sources provided by Swansea University to cover 357 drops across seven countries and one territory in the Indo-Pacific. Carbon storage is a key ecosystem service in the prevention of climate change, organic carbon was chosen as it shows the accumulation of organic material by the meadow which contributes to carbon sequestering. Additionally, data for inorganic carbon were less available. Cultural services where assessed using the presence of rare and endangered species as a proxy. Fisheries data were selected due to the high level of reliance on fish for protein in this region. This valuation system shows that ecosystem services in the Indo-Pacific vary by environment type, particularly lagoon and reef meadows. Lagoon meadows show significantly higher carbon storage than coastal, deepwater, reef and estuarine. Conversely, reef meadows show significantly higher scores for fish assemblage associated data than coastal or lagoon meadows. This paper develops a consistently reliable method through meta-analysis for the non-monetary valuation of ecosystem services using a percentile scale. This allows decision-makers to consider non-monetary factors in management situations, therefore considering the community opinion and the financial benefits of conserving an ecosystem. However, this is not the focus of this study, which was to create a scoring system that can be used in non-monetary valuation. |
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| Keywords: |
Ecosystem services, Seagrass, Indo-Pacific, valuation |
| College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |