A Guide for Incorporating Ecosystem Service Valuation into Coastal Restoration Projects
This guidebook provides a framework for coastal restoration practitioners in the Mid-Atlantic to incorporate ecosystem service valuation early in project planning. By valuing benefits such as flood risk reduction, fisheries, and recreation, managers can improve project design, increase stakeholder support, and strengthen long-term restoration success.
Subject Tags
- Coastal
- Ecosystem management
- Climate resilience
Executive Summary
This guidebook provides a practical framework for practitioners, natural resource managers, and coastal restoration managers in the Mid‑Atlantic region to incorporate ecosystem service valuation into coastal restoration projects at the beginning of the planning process rather than after project design. Ecosystem service valuation helps quantify the benefits ecosystems provide to people, including flood risk reduction for coastal communities, improvements to commercial fisheries, and expanded recreational opportunities. By identifying, measuring, and communicating these benefits, managers can improve project design for both people and nature, increase stakeholder support, and strengthen opportunities for funding and long‑term success. The guidebook defines restoration as the process of establishing or reestablishing habitats to closely resemble natural conditions in structure and function, and its scope includes restoration, enhancement, and creation of new coastal habitats. While the guide focuses primarily on salt marsh and oyster reef restoration, the framework applies to a broad range of coastal habitats and restoration decisions. The guide outlines a step‑by‑step, iterative process that integrates stakeholder engagement, goal setting, metric selection, and study design, emphasizing that valuation studies are most effective when paired with communication, adaptive management, and policy engagement.
Citation
Schuster, E., & Doerr, P. (2015). A guide for incorporating ecosystem service valuation into coastal restoration projects. The Nature Conservancy, New Jersey Chapter. Delmont, NJ.