Tidal marshes are valuable natural resources, providing a wealth of ecosystem services. Ecosystem service quantification from these habitats is improving all the time and ecosystem services are already commonly used to inform decision making around marshes. A new paper provides examples of where ecosystem quantification is already playing a role in decision making by coastal risk managers, insurers, engineers and policy makers. Ecosystem service valuations have associated risks when applied to decision making, but communication, due diligence to environmental justice and the rise of big data can all play a role in tackling these complex issues and pave the way for an even greater role of ecosystem service quantification and valuation in shaping the management of wetlands for the benefit of nature and people.
Photo credit: Harold E. Malde