Ecosystem services assessment at Steart Peninsula, Somerset, UK

Lia Vieira da Silva, Mark Everard and Robert G. Shore

Ecosystem Services, 2014, vol. 10, issue C, 19-34

Abstract: A systemic valuation was undertaken of marginal changes in ecosystem services assessed as likely to result from the Steart Coastal Management project, some in monetary terms and others semi-quantified. The Steart Coastal Management project entails allowing seawater once again to inundate formerly defended farmland, including modifications to the landform of to assist the re-creation of a range of wetland habitats on the Steart Peninsula. Primary drivers for this project include habitat creation and management of coastal flooding, although implications for a range of other connected services need also to be taken into account. Ecosystem services for which a market exists (typically traded goods with associated use values) were valued using market prices. For non-traded services, this study relied substantially on the economic valuation technique of ‘value transfer’. Despite having to rely on some wide but transparently stated assumptions and uncertainties, a conservative, yet considerable, net annual benefit range of £491,155 to £913,752 was deduced. Research gaps that limited our ability to quantify and/or value several ecosystem services were identified.

Keywords: Ecosystem services; Economic valuation; Value transfer; Wetlands; Coastal management; Managed realignment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecoser:v:10:y:2014:i:c:p:19-34

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoser.2014.07.008

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