ABPmer to value the marine estate and UK seas - by David Foxwell
ABPmer and Economics for the Environment Consultancy (eftec) have been appointed by The Crown Estate to undertake a groundbreaking study to prepare an ecosystem services valuation for the Marine Estate and wider activities that occur within UK Seas.
The work, which will build on an earlier scoping study, will support The Crown Estate’s duty to manage its estate in a responsible manner and ensure that developments within the marine environment are sustainable.
The concept of ecosystem services is now firmly embedded in marine management and decision making. Valuation frameworks that take account of the goods and services that ecosystems provide are useful in identifying both the potential benefits and impacts of new policies or proposals and thus help to contribute to sustainable marine development.
The study seeks, for the first time, to provide a comprehensive ecosystem services valuation for the Marine Estate and UK Seas. To maximise its usefulness, the valuation framework has been designed to be applicable at a range of different spatial and temporal scales and information will be compiled within a geographic information system (GIS).
As part of the study an initial baseline valuation will be prepared by the end of May and the spatial framework will be completed by November. Marine stakeholders will be encouraged to contribute to the study through an email questionnaire and a stakeholder workshop.
Justine Saunders, ABPmer’s project manager said, ‘We are delighted to have been appointed to undertake this study which breaks new ground in seeking to develop a spatial valuation for UK Seas. We think it is a world first in terms of the level of detail that it is seeking to achieve.
‘The study recognises the increasingly important role of environmental economics and the ecosystem services concept in supporting decision making in the marine environment. The framework will facilitate assessments of the overall impacts and benefits of marine policies and programmes in pursuit of sustainable marine development.’
