Valuing the marine environment

The marine environment provides us with a multitude of benefits and services which contribute to human wellbeing in many ways. These services to human society include provision of food, raw materials for pharmaceuticals and opportunities for recreation. Furthermore, marine ecosystems have a role in maintaining our climate, transforming waste products and preventing coastal erosion. Not all of these services have an inherent monetary value, but assigning an economic value can help to increase efficiency of marine decision-making processes and make the trade-offs between different uses and protection of the marine environment more apparent.

PML scientists are at the forefront of developing techniques to quantify the value of benefits and services provided by the marine environment and are developing tools to understand the risks and trade-offs of developing the blue economy. This requires an interdisciplinary approach utilising our expertise in a wide range of fields from economics and social science to ecology and computer modelling.

Making a difference

Ecosystem Services Valuation for Coastal ManagersOur research is used by policy makers and environmental managers worldwide in developing marine management strategies, to ensure sustainable use of the marine environment and responsible ocean stewardship.

We have contributed to several high profile studies including the UK National Ecosystem Assessment and have participated in several projects which conducted ecosystem service valuations.

We are committed to sharing this knowledge and approach and recently led a workshop on Ecosystem Service Valuation for Coastal Managers which formed the basis of a guide to support the integration of ecosystem services into the management of coastal areas.

Further information

Current research topics include:

Air-sea gas exchange Aquaculture Biodiversity Capacity development Carbon and nutrient cycles Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Earth Observation Food security Invasive species Marine plastics Marine spatial planning Modelling the Marine Environment New technologies Ocean acidification Renewable energy

Projects

Valuing Marine Ecosystem Services in Europe (VALMER)
Completed

Valuing Marine Ecosystem Services in Europe (VALMER)

Contact: Dr Nicola Beaumont

The VALMER project aims to quantify and communicate the value (economic, social and environmental) of marine and coastal ecosystem services. Its...

ADdressing Valuation of Energy and Nature Together (ADVENT)

ADdressing Valuation of Energy and Nature Together (ADVENT)

Contact: Dr Nicola Beaumont

Advent is a UK Energy Research Centre Grand Challenge project exploring future UK low carbon energy pathways and quantifying their differing...

CoastWEB

CoastWEB - Valuing the contribution which COASTal habitats make to human health and WEllBeing, with a focus on the alleviation of natural hazards

Contact: Dr Nicola Beaumont

CoastWEB aims to holistically value the contribution which coastal habitats make to human health and wellbeing, with a focus on the alleviation of...

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Selected key publications

Beaumont NJ; Hooper T; Mongruel R. in press. Practical application of the Ecosystem Service Approach (ESA): Lessons Learned and recommendations for the future. International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & Management.

Barange M; Butenschön M; Yool A; Beaumont N; Fernandes JA; Martin AP; Allen JI. 2016. The cost of reducing the North Atlantic Ocean biological carbon pump. Frontiers in Marine Science, 10 January 2017

Fernandes, JA; Papathanasopoulou, E; Hattam, C; Queiros, AM; Cheung, WWWL; Yool, A; Artioli, Y; Pope, EC; Flynn, KJ; Merino, G; Calosi, P; Beaumont, NJ; Austen, MC; Widdicombe, S; Barange, M. 2016 Estimating the ecological, economic and social impacts of ocean acidification and warming on UK fisheries. Fish and Fisheries, 18 (3). 389-411. 10.1111/faf.12183

Dalton G; Grant A; Beaumont N; Georgakaki A; Hacking N; Hooper T; Kerr S; O'Hagan AM; Reilly K; Ricci P; Sheng W; Stallard T. 2016. Integrated methodologies of economics and socio-economics assessments in ocean renewable energy: private and public perspectives. International Journal of Marine Energy, 15: 191-200.

Garrard SL; Beaumont NJ. 2014. The effect of ocean acidification on carbon storage and sequestration in seagrass beds; a global and UK context. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 86(1–2): 138-146.

Luisetti T; Turner RK; Jickells T; Andrews J; Elliott M; Schaafsma M; Beaumont N; Malcolm S; Burdon D; Adams C; Watts W. 2014. Coastal Zone Ecosystem Services: From science to values and decision making; a case study. Science of the Total Environment 493: 682–693.

Borger, T; Beaumont, NJ; Pendleton, L; Boyle, KJ; Cooper, P; Fletcher, S; Haab, T; Hanemann, M; Hooper, TL; Hussain, SS; Portela, R; Stithou, M; Stockill, J; Taylor, T; Austen, MC. 2014 Incorporating ecosystem services in marine planning: The role of valuation. Marine Policy, 46. 161-170. 10.1016/j.marpol.2014.01.019

Beaumont NJ; Jones L; Garbutt A; Hansom JD; Tobermann M. 2014. The value of blue carbon sequestration and storage in coastal habitats. Estuarine and Coastal Shelf Science 137: 32-40.

Mangi, SC; Davies, E; Payne, A; Austen, MC; Simmonds, Beaumont, NJ; Smyth, TJ. 2011 Valuing the regulatory services provided by marine ecosystems.Environmetrics, 22. 686 - 698. 10.1002/env.1095

Beaumont, NJ; Austen, MC; Mangi, SC; Townsend, M. 2008 Economic Valuation for the Conservation of Marine Biodiversity. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 56(3). 386 - 396. 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2007.11.013

Beaumont, NJ; Austen, MC; Atkins, JP; Burdon, D; Degraer, S; Dentinho, TP; Derous, S; Holm, P; Horton, T; van Ierland, E; Marboe, AH; Starkey, DJ; Townsend, M; Zarzycki, T. 2007 Identification definition and quantification of goods and services provided by marine biodiversity: Implications for the ecosystem approach.Marine Pollution Bulletin, 54. 253 - 265. 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2006.12.003

Related recent publications

  1. Murray, F; Widdicombe, S; McNeill, CL; Douglas, A. 2017 Assessing the consequences of environmental impacts: variation in species responses has unpredictable functional effects. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 583. 35-47. 10.3354/meps12358
    View publication

  2. Sweetman, AK; Thurber, AR; Smith, CR; Levin, LA; Mora, C; Wei, C-L; Gooday, AJ; Jones, DOB; Rex, M; Yasuhara, M; Ingels, J; Ruhl, HA; Frieder, CA; Danovaro, R; Würzberg, L; Baco, A; Grupe, BM; Pasulka, A; Meyer, KS; Dunlop, KM; Henry, L-A; Roberts, JM. 2017 Major impacts of climate change on deep-sea benthic ecosystems. Elem Sci Anth, 5. 4. 10.1525/elementa.203
    View publication

  3. McQuatters-Gollop, A; Atkinson, A; Aubert, A; Bedford, J; Best, M; Bresnan, E; Cook, K; Devlin, M; Gowen, R; Johns, DG; Machairopoulou, M; McKinney, A; Mellor, A; Ostle, C; Scherer, C; Tett, P. 2019 Plankton lifeforms as a biodiversity indicator for regional-scale assessment of pelagic habitats for policy. Ecological Indicators, 101. 913-925. 10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.02.010
    View publication

  4. Lessin, G; Bruggeman, J; McNeill, CL; Widdicombe, S. 2019 Time scales of benthic macrofaunal response to pelagic production differ between major feeding groups. Frontiers in Marine Science, 6, supplement https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2019.00015/full#supplementary-material. 15, pp. 10.3389/fmars.2019.00015
    View publication

  5. Watson, SCL; Paterson, DM; Widdicombe, S; Beaumont, NJ. 2018 Evaluation of estuarine biotic indices to assess macro-benthic structure and functioning following nutrient remediation actions: A case study on the Eden estuary Scotland. Regional Studies in Marine Science, 24. 379-391. 10.1016/j.rsma.2018.09.012
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