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Valuation of the ecosystem services provided by coastal ecosystems in Shandong, China: developing a non-market valuation system
Get PDFBased on unique geographical, economic and ecological characteristics, the coastal regions have been serving as the most important supports for human benefits. From food provision, ecosystem regulation, wildlife habitat to various recreational and aesthetic activities, humans have been obtaining direct and indirect well-being from the coastal ecosystems. If properly managed and sustainably protected, these benefits should be translated to human welfare for current and future generations (Brenner, et al., 2010) . The lack of complete understanding of total values obtained from coastal ecosystems, especially the underestimating of ecosystem benefits has led to management failures. As a result, most coastal resources are suffering from depletion and even extinction, which pose serious threat to human existence and development.
One of the most important challenges faced for effective coastal management is how to capture the total economic value of ecosystem services. Since most benefits from natural resources lie outside of the market, there are no prices to reveal these values. The majority of social choices, however, are made based on monetary values. When confronting competing uses of ecosystems, the most important thing is to ascertain which choice would be worth more than others (Wilson et.al, 2005) . For example, a wetland can be either converted into agriculture or maintained for wildlife habitat; the shoreline can be either developed for industrial purposes or recreational activities. Whatever choice we make, it probably means that one option is more valuable than the others. Thus, the valuation issue can’t be avoided as long as there are competing options for the use of natural resources.
Non-market valuation assesses the contributions of ecosystem services to human well-being by determining the preference of users. That is how much money users are willing to pay for ecosystem improvements or how much they are willing to accept for ecosystem losses. Through exploring these preferences, the natural capital can be accounted for economically and quantitatively. It can not only lead to better understanding of ecosystem benefits, but also make it possible to compare ecosystem services with other conventional goods and services (e.g. real estate) in monetary terms.
Shandong is a coastal province of China, which is located on the eastern edge of the North China Plain and extends out to sea in the form of the Shandong Peninsula (see fig. 1). The coastline is more than 3,000 km in length with some 296 islands. The coast comprises a variety of environments represented by rocky coasts, beaches, estuaries and river deltas, of which the Yellow River delta has the largest, the most extensive and integrated wetland ecosystems in China. The diverse coastal resources support the prosperous development of marine-based industries, in 2010, which accounted for 16.5% of Shandong’s GDP . In 2011, the Chinese government launched the first ocean economic zone in Shandong, which signaled that Shandong coastal regions had become the focus of marine policy decisions. Since every decision should be based on accurate and inclusive values, the following questions arise: What benefits are related to coastal resources? What are these benefits worth to different stakeholders? How should we evaluate these benefits? Is there a difference among different valuation techniques?
Answering these questions can help to incorporate ecosystem values into decision making and lead to well-informed coastal management policy. However, there has been little, if any, research on economic valuation of ecosystem services in Shandong. The absence of quantification of the benefits related to the coast has meant that most existing polices and decisions lack reasonable and convincible foundation. Moreover the coastal ecosystems are already under serious threat due to ignoring and neglecting their benefits during development and exploitation.
The objective of this study is to identify the ecosystem services provided by coastal ecosystems in Shandong, China. By developing a non-market valuation system, the aim is to apply the range of methodologies to specific benefits derived from various kinds of coastal resources to estimate their values. The paper proceeds as follows. Section 2 demonstrates the demand for valuation of ecosystems services provided by coastal ecosystems in Shandong. A review of existing techniques for capturing the non-market values of coastal ecosystems and an analysis of which technique best suits which context and situation follow in Section3. Section 4 identifies the services and benefits derived from coastal ecosystems and develops a non-market valuation system
The role of the ocean industry in the Chinese national economy: An input-output analysis
Get PDFThe Ocean Economy Accounting System (OEAS) was established in China in 2006. However, the economic indirect and induced impact of the ocean economy as part of the Chinese national economy has not been completely understood at the national or regional level. Activities in the marine sector not only affect the industries in this sector but also influence other sectors through inter-sector linkages. This paper employs input-output (I-O) analysis to examine the role of the ocean industry in the economy of Tianjin, China for the year 2007. This paper represents the first effort to quantify the inter-industry linkage effects on China\u27s ocean industry
Technical Appendix: Economic Impact of the Commercial Fisheries on Local County Economies from Catch in California National Marine Sanctuaries 2010, 2011 and 2012. Marine Sanctuaries Conservation Series ONMS-13-07
Get PDFThis report documents the data and methods of estimation used in estimating the economic impact of commercial fishing catch from all four National Marine Sanctuaries in California on local county economies in terms of harvest revenue received by fishermen and the associated economic impacts, including multiplier impacts, on total output, value added, income and the number of full- and part-time jobs
Blue Growth in the Middle Kingdom: An analysis of China’s Ocean Economy
Get PDFThis paper builds on the work carried out by OEAS in China, which established the framework of ocean economy accounting in China. It also demonstrates how it is possible to compile ocean economy data, from the existing government databases in China. The Chinese ocean economy was divided into two separate parts for the purpose of the analysis presented; the ocean industry and ocean-related industry. Data was collected for 12 major ocean industries. Using a similar methodology to that developed in previous international studies, it was found that the major ocean industries produced US239.09 billion in value added output in 2010 and accounted for 4.03% of China’s national GDP. The major ocean industries were found to employ 9,253,000 individuals. This analysis also found that coastal tourism, marine communication and transportation industry and the marine fishing industry dominate in China’s ocean economy. A time series analysis for the period 2001 to 2010 found that the Chinese ocean economy follows a very similar growth path to that of the national economy. It would appear from the analysis however that given the international nature of the activities in the ocean economy, the major ocean industries demonstrate a higher level of vulnerability in terms of the impact of unexpected shocks on the economy.
While this paper has undertaken an analysis of the Chinese Ocean economy, defining and quantifying the Coastal economy in China is an area worthy of further research. In this case the Chinese Coastal economy could be defined as all activity which takes place in a predefined coastal area and would include all economic activity in the coastal region; however those areas and regions are defined6. This task is all the more relevant given the five ocean economic development zones that have been established in a number of China’s coastal provinces. Along with the ocean economy information described in this paper such coastal economy statistics would allow policy makers, planners and government to make more informed coastal planning and marine environment management decisions
Understanding the Ocean Economy within Regional and National Contexts
Get PDFExtending discussion of the ocean economy beyond “How Big”
– Changes in the U.S. related to the Great Recession
– Decomposing changes to major types of change
– Finding relative sizes Exploring the expanding attention to the ocean economy in other parts of the world
– Likenesses and differences in: Definitions Measures Geographies Purposes
Where do we go from here?
Valuation of the ecosystem services provided by coastal ecosystems in Shandong, China: developing a non- market valuation system
Get PDFNon-market valuation assesses the contributions of ecosystem services to human well-being by determining the preference of users. That is how much money users are willing to pay for ecosystem improvements or how much they are willing to accept for ecosystem losses. Through exploring these preferences, the natural capital can be accounted for economically and quantitatively. It can not only lead to better understanding of ecosystem benefits, but also make it possible to compare ecosystem services with other conventional goods and services (e.g. real estate) in monetary terms.
Shandong is a coastal province of China, which is located on the eastern edge of the North China Plain and extends out to sea in the form of the Shandong Peninsula (see fig. 1). The coastline is more than 3,000 km in length with some 296 islands. The coast comprises a variety of environments represented by rocky coasts, beaches, estuaries and river deltas, of which the
Yellow River delta has the largest, the most extensive and integrated wetland ecosystems in China. The diverse coastal resources support the prosperous development of marine-based industries, in 2010, which accounted for 16.5% of Shandong’s GDP . In 2011, the Chinese government launched the first ocean economic zone in Shandong, which signaled that Shandong coastal regions had become the focus of marine policy decisions. Since every decision should be based on accurate and inclusive values, the following questions arise:
• What benefits are related to coastal resources?
• What are these benefits worth to different stakeholders?
• How should we evaluate these benefits?
• Is there a difference among different valuation techniques?
The objective of this study is to identify the ecosystem services provided by coastal ecosystems in Shandong, China. By developing a non-market valuation system, the aim is to apply the range of methodologies to specific benefits derived from various kinds of coastal resources to estimate their values. The paper proceeds as follows. Section 2 demonstrates the demand for valuation of ecosystems services provided by coastal ecosystems in Shandong. A review of existing techniques for capturing the non-market values of coastal ecosystems and an analysis of which technique best suits which context and situation follow in Section3. Section 4 identifies the services and benefits derived from coastal ecosystems and develops a non-market valuation system
Technical Appendix: Economic Impact of Commercial Fisheries on Local County Economies from Catch in California National Marine Sanctuaries 2010, 2011 and 2012
Get PDFThis report documents the data and methods of estimation used in estimating the economic impact of commercial fishing catch from all four National Marine Sanctuaries in California on local county economies in terms of harvest revenue received by fishermen and the associated economic impacts, including multiplier impacts, on total output, value added, income and the number of full- and part-time jobs.
This report is part of a series of reports meeting the priorities in the “Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) West Coast Region Socioeconomic Plan FY 2013 – FY 2014” and “national program priorities” on establishing the connection between sanctuary resource uses and local, regional and national economies. This report documents how economic impact estimates were made for the commercial fisheries in all four California National Marine Sanctuaries (NMS); Cordell Bank, Channel Islands, Gulf of the Farallones, and Monterey Bay
The Impact of Surf Breaks on Home Prices in Santa Cruz, CA
Get PDFThe growing field of “surfonomics” attempts to document surfing’s economic contribution to local and regional communities, as well the consumer surplus surf breaks provide to millions of surfers. To date, no research has examined the extent to which the value of surf breaks is capitalized into home prices. This study uses the hedonic price method with data from three distinct beach-adjacent neighborhoods in Santa Cruz, CA to estimate whether proximity to surf breaks leads to higher home values. We find that after controlling for proximity to the beach, ocean views, the specific characteristics of the homes, and neighborhood effects, that proximity to surf breaks is a statistically significant contributor to overall home value. A home that is right next to a surf break is valued at approximately $106,000 more than an equivalent home a mile away
Ocean Governance: The New Zealand Dimension Full Report
Get PDFThe primary goal of this report is to provide interested members of the public and policymakers with a general overview and a description of the types of principles, planning tools, and policy instruments that can be used to strengthen and improve marine governance in New Zealand. As extractive uses (hydrocarbons and minerals, in particular) ramp up and others are explored and brought on line in the marine areas of New Zealand, the need will increase for a more integrative, ecosystem-based approach to marine governance.
This study is based on the following types of analysis:
• a review of the literature on the existing governance framework in New Zealand
• a comprehensive review of the scientific literature on integrative, ecosystem-based marine governance
• an evaluation of case study materials on offshore oil and gas development, marine aquaculture, marine life protection, and marine minerals exploration
• a examination of New Zealand’s marine policies and legislation
• a synthesis of materials and input from participants in the project’s four workshops on the subjects of marine farming, aquaculture, marine science and technology, and marine governance
• an assessment of the information and materials gained from a series of confidential, one-on-one and group interviews, conducted in person or by telephone during 2010 and 2011, with a selection of ocean stakeholders including academics, members of non-government organizations, regional and national resource managers, members of the public service, and representatives of major ocean industries, such as offshore oil, commercial fishing, and mining interests.
The major findings of this study are that the existing marine governance framework in New Zealand emphasises a traditional sector-by-sector approach to management and planning, and that this fragmented governance framework contributes to a number of institutional challenges, such as:
• a spatial and temporal overlap of human activities and their objectives, causing conflicts (user–user and user–ecosystem conflicts)
• a lack of connection between the various authorities responsible for individual activities
• a lack of connection between offshore activities and resource use and onshore communities that are dependent on them
• a lack of protection of culturally and ecologically sensitive marine areas.
In addition, the study identifies a number of factors that influence marine planning and decision-making in the country, including but not limited to:
• a lack of institutional capacity and capability to govern marine resources and address ecosystem issues across administrative jurisdictions and management sectors
• general scientific uncertainty and a paucity of information with respect to the resources and the more general ecological features of the marine area
• the relationships between economic use of marine resources and the maintenance of marine ecosystem services and goods
• Māori interests, perspectives and treaty obligations
• increasing pressures from the use of marine areas, including the impacts of terrestrial inputs from coastal waterways on nearshore marine ecosystems and resources
• the role of international treaties and conventions
• the synergistic and cumulative impacts of multiple use and climate disturbance on marine ecosystems
• the role of scientists and science in marine planning and decision-making.
This report describes two general recommendations. First, with respect to the territorial sea (which includes the marine area out to 12 nautical miles) the report recommends that regional councils develop integrative marine plans where conflict between users and users-ecosystems is likely to develop in the future. Second, the report recommends the adoption of a new role for central government to support an ecosystem-based approach to integrative marine planning and decision-making. Within central government, stronger interagency coordination and new public policy are needed to address future marine resource conflicts and to support an ecosystem-based approach to integrative marine planning and collaborative decision- making for the EEZ. There is also a new role for place-based collaborative decision-making and planning to address conflicts in marine areas that are likely to be developed in the future. A range of new principles of marine governance, planning tools and policy instruments are described that support a marine ecosystem-based approach to integrative planning across management sectors for the EEZ
A Sustainable Seafood Traceability System in Costa Rica: Development and Implementation
Get PDFThe global seafood industry currently lacks a standardized, widespread method to easily trace the chain of custody of products that they purchase. With global overfishing leading to declining fish stocks around the world, it is vital for seafood providers to have the ability to identify and buy products from sustainable fisheries that are well managed, target abundant species, and fish in environmentally responsible ways. A tracing system that incorporates a combination of online inventory reporting and physical product tagging, augmented by independent supply chain verification, will give companies and consumers the information they need to make sustainable seafood choices.
Overfishing is costly. Altered fish landings have created economic hardships for fishermen and women worldwide. In addition, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) catches threaten the sustainability of many sensitive local fisheries. Increased tracing of seafood products has the potential to help alleviate these problems by giving suppliers and consumers relevant information that allows them to make sustainable choices.
The primary goals of the initial phase of this project are the development of a gap analysis in the current fishing industry in Costa Rica (including fisheries management criteria) as well as of recommendations for moving forward toward implementing a test system for a pilot traceability project. During this phase, current procedures will be outlined and compared to existing traceability models, standards, and regulations in Costa Rica and the U.S.
The ultimate goal of this project is to test the implementation of a seafood traceability system in Costa Rica (and perhaps Panama and Colombia) with practical experience, with real-life situations and challenges, and with a small number of participants at each step of the value chain (i.e., a small number of fishermen, a few processors, one or two distributors, and a large supermarket and/or restaurant chain)