The Marine Initiative of the Natural Capital Project is dedicated to using the framework of ecosystem services to inform ecosystem-based management of marine and coastal waters. The Project is developing and applying a suite of ecosystem service models called InVest (Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs).
Marine InVest is highly flexible to accommodate application across multiple scales in coastal and marine regions with diverse habitats, policy questions, and stakeholders. Our approach identifies where ecosystem services are provided adn where they are consumed. It reveals how resource management decisions will affect multiple aspects of the economy, human well-being and the environment. Marine InVest can help answer questions such as:
- What kinds of coastal management and fishery policies will give us the best returns for sustainable fisheries, shoreline protection and recreation?
- Are revenues from activities such as recreational fishing or scuba diving likely to rise or fall under an integrated coastal zone managment plan?
- How does marine spatial planning help to ensure that current and future generations benefit from the value of coral reefs for providing food, potential for economic prosperity, and biological diversity?
