GULBENKIAN

oceansINITIATIVE

valuing oceans for tomorrow

The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation

The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation is a Portuguese private institution of public utility, created in 1956 in accordance with the last will and testament of Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian. Its statutory aims are in the fields of the Arts, Charity, Education and Science.

The Foundation actively pursues its statutory aims in Portugal and abroad through a wide range of direct activities and grants supporting projects and programmes.

The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation has its headquarters in Lisbon. The large premises comprise the head-office itself, the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, the Modern Art Centre, and the Art Library. The premises, which are set in the Gulbenkian Park, also include a large auditorium, a space for temporary exhibitions, and a congress area with auditoriums and other rooms. The Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, a leading international biomedical research centre located inside a multi-building complex in Oeiras, was created and is supported by the Foundation.

The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation also has delegations in the United Kingdom (UK Branch) and in Paris (France Branch).

GULBENKIAN

oceansINITIATIVE

valuing oceans for tomorrow

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Executive Summary 5

1. The Gulbenkian Oceans Initiative 7

Supportscientificresearch 8

Increase public understanding 9

Promote policy action 10 2. Background to the GOI 11

3. The importance of marine ecosystems for human well-being 13

Provision services 15

Regulating services 17

Cultural services 19

Supporting services 20

4. The economic value of marine ecosystem services 21

5. Other initiatives 25

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) 25

Natural Capital Project(NCP) 25

Wealth Accounting and the Valuation of Ecosystem Services (WAVES) 26

6. The contribution of the GOI 27

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Executive Summary

The oceans cover approximately three quarters of ourplanetandapproximately80%ofourfaunaandfloraliveontheoceans.Theyplayacrucialroleinsupporting society’s well being and in sustainable economicgrowthduetothefundamentalbenefitstheyprovide.

Oceansprovideawiderangeofbenefits–orecosystemservices–tooursocieties,including:food,rawmaterials,water,medicinalresourcesandrenewableenergy(provisionservices);climateandwater cycle regulation and moderation of extreme events(regulatingservices);nutrientcycling,maintenance of genetic diversity and habitat for the differentspecies(supportingservices);recreation,tourism,spiritualandvisualexperiences(culturalservices).

However,theimportanceofalltheseservicesisfrequently neglected in decision-making because we ignoretheirtotaleconomicvalue.Usually,decision-makers only have an understanding of the private netbenefitsofaneconomicactivityorproject.Theyoftenignoreitsactualexternalcosts–thereductionand/or degradation in ecosystem services caused bythatsameactivityorproject–andtheexternalbenefitsoriginatedbynaturalcapital.Forthisreason,decision-makers can be confronted with the negative environmental impacts of an oil spill generating a positive,ratherthannegative,impactonacountry’s

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GDP,ascleaning-uppollutiongeneratesjobswhiletheeconomic value of reduced or lost ecosystem services remainsunaccountedfor.

Inotherwords,wegenerallyignorethetremendouseconomic losses from the deterioration of our oceans thatisalreadyhappening.Evenwherethisknowledgeisavailable,itisusuallyinapiecemealfashion,in a format or at a level that is not adequate for considerationbydecision-makers.

There is a need to know more about the economic valueofmarineecosystemservices,andtointegrate,wherepossible,thisvalueintodecision-makingprocessesofgovernmentalinstitutions,privatecompanies,non-governmentalorganizationsandindividualcitizens,atthelocal,nationalandEuropeanlevel.Thiscriticalgapinourcollectiveknowledgeneeds to be addressed urgently so that our oceans can be protected and adequately managed for the long-termbenefitofusall.

The Gulbenkian Oceans Initiative is working towards protection,conservationandgoodmanagementoftheoceansandofmarineecosystems.Itsupports scientificresearch on the economic valuation of marineecosystemservices.Itisraisingawarenesstoincrease public understanding of the value of oceans forhumanwell-beingandeconomicdevelopment.And it promotes policy actionbymobilizingpolicy-makersanddecision-makersatthelocal,nationalandEUlevelstointegratetheeconomicvalueofmarineecosystem services into their regular activities and decision-makingprocesses.

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1. The Gulbenkian Oceans Initiative

TheGulbenkianOceansInitiative(GOI)isafive-yearprogramoftheCalousteGulbenkianFoundationthatwillworktowardsprotection,conservationandgoodmanagementoftheoceansandofmarineecosystems.

The Gulbenkian Oceans Initiative will promote activitiesinthreedomains–research,publicunderstanding,andpolicyaction–withtheoverallgoal of increasing public and political understanding of marine ecosystem services as strategic assets for sustainable economic development and for human well-being.

Gulbenkian Oceans Initiative

Scientific knowledge

Policy action

Public understanding

MARINE ECOSYSTEM

SERVICES

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S U P P O R T S C I E N T I F I C R E S E A R C H

The GOI will sponsor an interdisciplinary study combining different areas of knowledge with the purpose of determining the economic value of marine ecosystemservicesinPortugal.Thisresearchwillproducepolicy-relevantscientificfindings,andwillbe carried out by leading research institutions that integratenaturalsciences(e.g.,marinebiology,environmentalsciences)andsocialsciences(e.g.,economics,politicalscience).Theirinterdisciplinaryapproach will involve having postdoctoral researchers withdifferentbackgrounds(socialsciencesvs.naturalsciences)workinginpairs,thusmeaningfullybridgingthedividebetweensocialandnaturalsciences.

Researcheffortswillinclude,butwillnotbelimitedto,astudyfocusedonapilotareainPortugalwiththe purpose of producing a textbook example of economicvaluationofmarineecosystemservices,andof how these contribute to improve decision-making processesandraisemarineenvironmentalawareness.

Expectedresearchresultsincludethefollowing:

1. Themonetaryvalue(aswellasothervalues)oftheservices produced by marine ecosystems within thepilotarea;

2. Themonetaryvalue(aswellasothervalues)ofasingle marine ecosystem service at the national level;

3. Theeconomicbenefitsthatasingleeconomicactivityenjoysfrommarineecosystems.

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These lines of research will contribute to improve currentvaluationmethodologies,butwillalsolookintointangiblebenefitsproducedbymarineecosystems.Clearmutuallinksbetweenmarineecosystemsandwell-beingwillalsobeinvestigated,including the impacts that economic activities have on theprovisionofmarineecosystemservices.

I N C R E A S E P U B L I C U N D E R S T A N D I N G

Improvingscientificknowledgeofmarineecosystemserviceswillnotbesufficienttoachievearealchangeinhowthepublicperceivesthem.Ascitizens,weonlydemand protection and better management of what weknowtobevaluableforourwell-being.

The Gulbenkian Oceans Initiative will promote a varied range of activities targeting diverse audiences –childrenandyouth,researchers,localcommunities,policy-makers,decision-makers,environmentalNGOs,accountantsofmajormaritimecompanies–withtheoverall aim of increasing their understanding of the importance of marine ecosystem services for well-beingandeconomicdevelopment.

Forsomespecificaudiences,capacity-buildingactivities will have the additional purpose of showing how such knowledge can be integrated into regular institutionalpractices.

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P R O M O T E P O L I C Y A C T I O N

Increasedscientificknowledgeandpublicperceptionabout the importance of marine ecosystem services do not necessarily lead to meaningful change in practices bypublicandprivateorganizations.

Toovercomethis,theGulbenkianOceansInitiativewill promote within various institutions and organizationstheintegrationoftheeconomicvalueofmarine ecosystem services into their regular activities anddecision-makingprocesses,aswellastheadoption of monetary valuation methods to support them.ItwilladvancetheknowledgeandinterestofPortugueseinstitutionsinnaturalcapitalaccounting,and the adaptation of marine governance systems to suchinput.

In order to contribute to meaningful and lasting change,theGOI will partner with other initiatives so as nottoduplicateeffortsandtofillexistinggaps.

This initiative will also promote the marine ecosystem serviceapproachinpublicconsultationsatthelocal,national and EUlevelswhereitfindsitcancontributedecisively to improve the knowledge base upon which decisionsaremade.Thisincludesthedefinitionofresearchpriorities,marinespatialplanning,environmentalimpactassessment,andtherevisionof coastal management plans and of marine protected areamanagementplans.

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2. Background to the GOI

Foratleast40years,sincetheearlyseventies,wehave been aware of the importance of biodiversity as a natural capital and part of the life support system oftheplanet.Still,actiontohaltbiodiversitylosshasnotbeensuccessfulatanylevelofdecision-making,i.e.attheglobal,internationallevel,despitetheRioandJohannesburgsummits;attheregionallevel,forinstancewithintheEU;oratthenational,orstatelevel.Hence,theEUhasfailedtomakegooditscommitmenttostopbiodiversitylossinEuropeby2012andhasnowpostponedthisgoalto2020.

Inspiteofsuchfailuretoacteffectively,wearetodaymore aware than ever of the severe problems threatening biodiversity,aswellasofourgreatcontribution–withpollution,deforestation,etc.–toincreasethedegreeofthosethreats.Also,ourunderstandingofhowecosystems are critical to the planet’s functioning and of howdirectlyimportanttheyaretoourownwell-being,has been increasing in parallel with the fast deterioration ofthosenaturalecosystems.Thus,healthyecosystemsare not only needed to preserve the planet’s fauna and flora,buttheyareindeedthebase-resourceofmanyofour human activities and economic processes of wealth’s production.

A deeper understanding of ecosystem services reveals thattheygenerateeconomicvalue,andindicatesthatecosystems and biodiversity should be perceived as key strategic assets for sustainable development and economicgrowth.

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Withmorethan70%oftheEarth’ssurfacecoveredbyoceans,itisnotsurprisingthatthese gigantic ecosystems determine such asignificantpartofourplanet’sclimateandecology.Theoceansarecriticaltothe functioning of the Earth’s life support system:theyareareservoiroffreshwater,which is evaporated by solar energy from theseaanddepositedasrainonland,inthis way contributing to the regulation of theplanet’shydrologiccycle;andtheyarehometomillions of species that we enjoy watching because oftheirbeauty,thatweenjoyeatingbecauseoftheirexcellenttasteandessentialnutrients,andfromwhere we extract active compounds to cure some of ourillnesses.

But there are many more ways in which the oceans and their ecosystems contribute toourwell-beingasasociety.Marineecosystems,andtheirassociatedbiodiversity,provideus with a wide range of services that,despitebeingcriticalforour individual and collective

well-being,aregenerallynotrecognizedassuchinpolicy-makinganddecision-making.Inpracticalterms,thismeansthatwhenagovernmentneedsto

3. The importance of marine ecosystems for human well-being

Well-being is defined

as the material needs for

a good life, health, good

social relations, security

and freedom of choice

and action.

TEEB (2010)

Marine ecosystem

services are the

benefits that people

obtain from marine

ecosystems.

TEEB (2010)

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decidebetween,forexample,protectingoneareaoftheoceanordrillingforoilandnaturalgas,itusuallyconsiders protection as a cost and oil production as abenefit,thusneglectingthefactthatthatsameareaprovidestremendousbenefitstousallandsometimeseven overlooking the environmental costs of oil production.

Oneofthereasonsforthisisthatoftenweall–citizensandinstitutions–failtorealizehowwebenefitfromoceanservicesinourdailylives,evenwhenweliveclosetothesea.

The multiple benefits provided by coastal and marine ecosystem services.

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P R O V I S I O N S E R V I C E S

The oceans provide us with a variety of goods that wefindinourdailylives.Mostofthefishthatweeatcomesfromtheoceans,andweneedincreasinglymorefishtofeedagrowingworldpopulation.In2011,154milliontonsoffishwereremovedfromtheworld’soceans–4%morethanin2010–andabout85%ofthoseweredestinedforfood.1

The oceans are also the means through which much of the EU’sproductionisexported,and

Provision services

are ecosystem

services that describe

the material outputs

from ecosystems.

They include food, raw

materials, water and

medicinal resources.

TEEB (2010)

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through which consumer goods reach us from other partsoftheworld:closeto90%oftheEU’s freight exchanges(involume)withtherestoftheworldareseaborne,andmorethan90%ofglobaltradeisalsocarriedbysea.2 The oceans and seas are therefore a natural infrastructure for transportation of people andgoods.Nevertheless,andcontrarytoroadorrailinfrastructureswhichhaveamarketpriceandcost,seabornetransportationdoesnotreflectinitscosttheeconomicvalueofthisnaturalinfrastructure:theseaspace.

The oceans also give us other material goods that areessentialtoglobal,EU and national economies andwell-being.Oilandnaturalgasareincreasinglyextractedfromtheseafloor,asreservesonland

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becomelessprofitabletoexplore;emergingtechnology for renewable energies may take only a fewmoreyearstogenerateelectricityfromwaves,tides,andoffshorewindsatacommercialscale,thus contributing to the EU’sgoalofhaving20%of electricity consumption from renewable energy sourcesby20203;andpharmaceuticalcompaniesarealready extracting a growing number of bioactive compoundsformedicinesandcosmeticsfromsealife.

Someoftheseprovisionservices,suchaswindenergy,are abundant in the EU and increasingly contribute to its GDP.In2010,windenergy’scontributiontotheEU’s GDP was twice as high as the growth in the EU’s GDP itself.4 Offshore wind energy in particular is expected toconstitute26%oftheinstalledwindenergycapacity in the EUby2020.4

R E G U L A T I N G S E R V I C E S

Theoceansgiveusmuchmorethanmaterialgoods.Theyplayakeyroleinregulatingecological,physicaland chemical processes upon which life and human well-beingdepend.

The oceans are a natural sink for land-based nutrients andwaste.Theyareabletoprocessthedangerouspollutantsweproduceonland,butdonotprocessallpollutantsanddonotprocessthementirely.Inotherwords,wecannolongerbelievethat“thesolutionforpollutionisdilution”.Theamountofpollutantsreaching the oceans is in many places already above itscapacitytoprocessthem.Manycoastalareasarenowconsideredtobe“deadzones”duetoanoverload

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of nutrients that promote phytoplankton blooms,quicklyexhaustingoxygeninthewaterandleavingothermarinecreaturestodie.5

The oceans also regulate global climate by storing heat and absorbing CO2.Itisthewater’sability to store heat that enables a milder climate on the Atlantic coast of Europe than on theAtlanticcoastofNorthAmerica.Partofthewarm Gulf Stream that originates in the Gulf of Mexico runs southward along the European

coast,butdoesnotcomecloseenoughtotheAtlanticcoastofNorthAmerica.

The capacity of oceans to absorb CO2 makes them thelargestcarbonsinkonourplanet.CO2 can be dissolvedinseawater,oritcanbeincorporatedbyphytoplanktonthroughphotosynthesis.Eitherway,oceansdefinitelycontributetoeliminatingthisgreenhousegasfromtheatmosphere.

Oceans play therefore a critical role in atmospheric gasandclimateregulationandareessentialforwater,nutrientandwasterecycling.

Other regulating marine and coastal ecosystem servicesweenjoyinclude:shorelinestabilizationbycoastaldunes,allowingregularhumanactivitiestotakeplace;protectionfromstormsurgesbydunesandsaltmarshes,preventingdamagetopeopleandestate;andtheprocessingofpollutants(e.g.throughaccumulationintherootsofmarineplants),reducinghumancontactwiththesecompounds.

Regulating services

are the services that

ecosystems provide by

acting as regulators, e.g.

by regulating the quality of

air and soil or by providing

flood and disease control.

TEEB (2010)

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C U L T U R A L S E R V I C E S

Oceansareavenueforrecreation,hostingavarietyoftourism,leisureandsportactivities.Thesearedependent not only on the physical space of the ocean (e.g.boating,surfing,divingandswimming),butalsoonthemarinelifeandbiodiversityithosts(e.g.whale-watchingandotherwildlifeobservation,andangling).

Such activities often provide the foundation forlocal,sustainableeconomies.Forexample,inthesouthofPortugal,asmuchas18%oftheworkforceisemployedinrestaurants and hotels6 that service millions of tourists visiting the beaches of Algarve yearly.IntheAzores,whale-watchinghasbecomeathrivingindustry,stronglydependent on the more than twenty species of marine mammals that cross its waters on aregularbasis.

Coastaltourismemploysmorethan2millionpeopleinthe EU,makingittheEU’s largest maritime economic activity.Thecoastalcruisesegmentisexpectedtogrowstrongly,eventhoughmoretraditionalsegmentshavestabilized.7InPortugal,theexcellentnaturalconditions of its coastline have turned it in the last few years into an attractive destination for surfers and windsurfersfromalloverEuropeandbeyond.

Unfortunately,thevalueoftheoceansasavenuefor these activities is still an extra-market value that needs to be more thoroughly researched and appraised.

Cultural services include

the non-material benefits

people obtain from contact

with ecosystems. Those

include aesthetic, spiritual and

psychological benefits.

TEEB (2010)

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S U P P O R T I N G S E R V I C E S

Besidesthosealreadymentioned,theoceansprovidea variety of services that are less obvious because they arenotdirectlyusedbypeople.Nevertheless,thesesupporting services are essential for the production of alltheotherecosystemservices.

Onesuchserviceisphotosynthesis,thebiochemical process through which marine phytoplankton produces half of the oxygen webreathe,whileremovingCO2 from the atmosphere (the other half comes from terrestrialplants,suchastreesandgrasses).8

The oceans also play an irreplaceable role in nutrientcyclingandwatercycling.Theystoremorethan95%oftheplanet’swater,andarethesourceof90%oftheevaporatedwaterthatentersthewatercycle.Oceansarealso

essentialforthecyclesofnutrientssuchascarbon,phosphorusandnitrogen.

This varied and extremely complex web of marine ecosystems services reminds us all that they cannot be fullysubstituted,9 and need to be properly protected andmanaged.

Supporting services

underpin almost all other

services, as ecosystems

provide living spaces for

plants or animals and also

maintain a diversity of

different breeds of plants

and animals.

TEEB (2010)

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4. The economic value of marine ecosystem services

Theroleofallmarineecosystemservices–provisioning,regulating,culturalandsupporting–ineconomic development and human well-being is notcompletelyunderstood.Inpart,thisisbecausewe do not fully appreciate their contribution to our economies.

Ifwewereabletounderstand,evenifnotcompletely,the total economic value of marine ecosystem services,itwouldbemucheasiertomakeacaseformarineconservation.InAustralia,€23.4million10 were spentin2006-7onmanagingtheGreatBarrierReefMarinePark,butitsmarineecosystemshadadirectand indirect contribution to the economy estimated at€3558millionforthatsameperiod.11

Knowing the economic value of marine ecosystem services would also allow us to compare alternative scenarios in environmental impact assessment using

Total economic value of an ecosystem

is a framework for considering various

constituents of value, including direct use

value (e.g., from raw materials), indirect use

value, option value, quasi-option value, and

existence value.

TEEB (2010)

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thesameunitofmeasure:monetaryvalue.Wecouldthenassessiftheeconomiccostofdestroying,forexample,amangroveareaoutweighstheeconomicbenefitofaquacultureproductioninthesamearea.

Currently,mostofthesecomparisonslackasolidscientificbase.Thismakesthejobofdecision-makerslessrobustandmoreerror-prone.EnvironmentalNGOs lobbying for environmental conservation also facedifficultiesintheirworkasoftentheyareunableto make their case based on concrete economic evidence.

Inatimeoffinancialcrisissuchastheonewearelivingin,jobcreationisafundamentalvariabletomeasuretheimpactofalleconomicactivities.Ifwewere able to determine the economic value of marine ecosystemservices,jobcreationassociatedwiththeseservices would give us an additional unit of measure for comparing both public and private costs and benefitsofcertaineconomicactivities.

Ifsuchinformation–economicvalue and job creation potential of marineecosystemservices–weretobe integrated into decision-making processes,policy-makersanddecision-makers would have a better knowledge of the environmental and economical implications of their decisions.Butaswestandnow,there are very few studies on the economic value of a limited number of geographicallyscatteredecosystems.

Direct use value is the benefits

derived from the services provided by

an ecosystem that are used directly

by an economic agent. These include

consumptive uses (e.g. harvesting

goods) and non-consumptive uses

(e.g. enjoyment of scenic beauty).

TEEB (2010)

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Moreover,thisinformationispresentedinascientificformat that is not helpful for policy-makers and decision-makers.

Insummary,weneedtounderstandbettertheeconomic value of marine ecosystem services because what is not monetary valued is often not accounted for.Infact,becausewecurrentlydonotknowthemarketvalueofmarineecosystemservices,theircommercialvalueisconsideredtobezero.Thisisahuge information gap in decision-making processes that undermines the case for marine conservation as aneconomicallyviablealternative.Itisalsoagapthatthe Gulbenkian Oceans Initiative wants to help reduce incollaborationwithotherinitiatives.

Indirect use value is the benefits derived

from the goods and services provided by

an ecosystem that are used indirectly by an

economic agent. For example, the purification

of drinking water filtered by soils.

TEEB (2010)

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5. Other initiatives

Though our collective knowledge on the economic value of marine ecosystem services is currently limited,thereareeffortsunderwaytoovercomethis.

T H E E C O N O M I C S O F E C O S Y S T E M S

A N D B I O D I V E R S I T Y ( T E E B )

The growing importance of the issue of economics and ecosystems and biodiversity was underlined by TEEB,the UNEP-sponsoredinitiativepresentedin2010,theInternationalYearofBiodiversity.TEEB developed an approachthatcanhelpdecision-makersrecognize,demonstrateand,whereappropriate,capturethevaluesofecosystemsandbiodiversity.Despitebeingregardedasalandmark,TEEB was mostly focused on terrestrial ecosystem services rather than on marine ones.Morerecently,TEEB established a working group to address the economics of coastal and marine ecosystems and biodiversity (http://www.teeboceans.org)and a multi-stakeholder platform to support the development of methods for natural and social capital valuation in business (http://www.teebforbusiness.org).

N A T U R A L C A P I T A L P R O J E C T ( N C P )

This project is developing tools for quantifying the valuesofnaturalcapitalinclear,credible,andpracticalways.Inparticular,itdevelopedInVEST,afamilyofsoftware-based tools for Integrated Valuation of EnvironmentalServicesandTradeoffs.

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InVEST enables decision-makers to quantify the importanceofnaturalcapital,tovisualizethebenefitsdeliveredtodayandinthefuture,toassessthetradeoffsassociatedwithalternativechoices,andtointegrateconservationandhumandevelopment.InVEST already includesafewmodelsforthemarineenvironment,focusedforexampleonsedimentation,coastal protection,marinewaterqualityandwaveenergy (http://www.naturalcapitalproject.org/). The Natural Capital Project is a partnership between StanfordUniversity,TheNatureConservancy,theWorldWildlifeFund,andtheUniversityofMinnesota.

W E A L T H A C C O U N T I N G A N D T H E V A L U A T I O N

O F E C O S Y S T E M S E R V I C E S ( W A V E S )

WAVES is a global partnership working to ensure that the national accounts used to measure and plan for national economic growth include the value of naturalresources.Forthis,itstrivestoimplementenvironmental accounting where there are internationally agreedstandards,anddevelopsstandardapproachesforother ecosystem service accounts (http://www.wavespartnership.org/).Someofthecountriesimplementingnaturalcapitalaccounting,suchasAustraliaandthePhilippines,areparticularlyconcernedwiththeirmarineecosystems.TheWAVES partnership is promoted by the World Bank and consists of a broad coalition of UNagencies,governments,internationalinstitutes,non-governmentalorganisationsandacademics.

GOI will seek to create strong links with TEEB,NCP and WAVES,anddevelopsynergieswiththeseandotherprojectsthatcanbemutuallybeneficial.

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6. The contribution of the GOI

The work being done by TEEB,NPC and WAVES is highlyvaluable,andwilldefinitelyhaveasignificantimpact on our understanding of the economic value ofecosystemsandnaturalcapital,andinensuringthecomprehensivenessofnationalaccounts.

However,wearestilllackingaspecificfocusonmarineecosystemsandtheservicestheygenerate,as most initiatives have focused essentially on terrestrialecosystems.Therearethreekeyreasonswhy ecosystem services valuation is mostly focused interrestrialsystems.Firstly,thereisalackofunderstanding of marine ecosystem functions and thewiderroletheymayplay,chieflybecausewhathappens in the sea is naturally less visible to us than whathappensonland.Secondly,thereislackofdataconcerningmarineecosystemsandtheirvalue,especiallyinoffshoreanddeepwaterenvironments.Andthirdly,suchstudiesandthenecessarydatacollection are much more expensive to do in the ocean thanonland.

Assessing the economic value of ecosystem services in the oceans is also more complicated than on land.Oceansareopenaccess,makingitdifficulttolimitaccessanduseofitsresources,andtoidentifythepeopleandactivitiesthatbenefitfrommarineecosystemservices.Consequently,measuringthecontribution of ecosystem services at sea to different economicactivitiesistrickierthanonland.Also,

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Marine Ecosystem Services

Economic Activities

Marine Ecosystems

Carbon sequestration

and oxygen production

Space

High biodiversity

Climate regulation

Hatchery and

nursery

Bioactive compounds

Note: the water column is not really an ecosystem, but it is here considered so for illustrative purposes.

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From marine ecosystems, to marine ecosystem services and economic activities

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asoceansareinterconnected,itismoredifficulttomeasure the services provided by a single marine ecosystem than to measure the services provided by a terrestrialecosystem,asdifferentmarineecosystemscontributetothesameservice.

Toovercomethis,weneedmoredataonmarineecosystemservicesandtheireconomicvalue.Wealso need to increase public and political awareness of the role of marine ecosystem services in economic developmentandhumanwell-being.Andweneedto integrate this knowledge into decision-making processes.

This can all be done in a more meaningful way if we combine the efforts of existing projects and produce a single example that has the consistency and robustness to showcase internationally how the economic valuation of marine ecosystem services can change how they are takenintoaccountindecision-makingprocesses.

Toachievethisweneedexcellent,interdisciplinaryscientificresearchthattrulycombinesthefieldsofmarine biology and economics and that increases ourunderstandingofmarinebiodiversity,marineecosystemfunctioning,marineecosystemservicesandtheir economic contribution to human well-being and economicprosperity.

The Gulbenkian Oceans Initiative is contributing to fillthisgapbysupportingscientificresearchontheeconomicvaluationofmarineecosystemservices.Sucha study does not need to cover entire countries or even verylargeareas.12 It will begin instead by focusing on a

30

restricted geographical area and on a country-wide marineecosystemormarineecosystemservice.Inthisway,collectingdatacanbemoremanageable,research efforts may be geographically concentrated and results thus generated may contribute to making it a critical case-study with national impact and international projection that is able to shape political action by showing how marine ecosystems contribute toeconomicactivities.

This approach will help the Gulbenkian Oceans Initiative raise awareness among the general public,policy-makers,decision-makersandotherstakeholders about the importance of marine ecosystemservicestoourgeneralwell-being.

Particularly,itisexpectedtoshowhowtheintegrationof the economic value of marine ecosystem services into decision-making improves the effectiveness of our environmental and economic policies related totheoceanspace.Thiswillbeaccompaniedbyintroducing changes in national satellite accounts so that these integrate monetary and non-monetary informationofmarineecosystemservices.

Tosumup,theGulbenkianOceansInitiativewillproduce knowledge on the economic value of marine ecosystem services that will feed appropriately into awareness-raising activities and into decision-making processesatalllevels,hopefullypromotingprofoundand long-lasting changes in how the contribution of marine ecosystem services to human well-being is acknowledged.

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NOTES

1 FAO(2012).The State Of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2012.Rome.209pp.

2 UNCTAD(2013).Review of Maritime Transport 2012.UNCTAD/RMT/2012.

3 Directive2009/28/ECoftheEuropeanParliamentandoftheCouncilof23April2009onthepromotionoftheuseofenergyfromrenewablesources and amending and subsequently repealing Directives 2001/77/ECand2003/30/EC.

4 EWEA(2012).Green Growth: The Impact of Wind Energy on Jobs and the Economy.EuropeanWindEnergyAssociation.

5 R.J.Diaz&R.Rosenberg(2008).SpreadingDeadZonesandConsequencesforMarineEcosystems.Science321(5891):926-929.

6 EuropeanParliament(2008).The Impact of Tourism on Coastal Areas: Regional Development Aspects.DirectorateGeneralforInternalPoliciesoftheUnion,PolicyDepartmentB:StructuralandCohesionPolicies.

7 EuropeanCommission&DGMARE(2012).Blue Growth - Scenarios and drivers for Sustainable Growth from the Oceans, Seas and Coasts.FinalReport.

8 M.Bollmannandothers(2010).World Ocean Review 2010 – Living With the Oceans.Maribus,Hamburg.

9 P.Dasgupta(2012).“Naturalcapitalaseconomicassets:areview”.InInclusive Wealth Report 2012: Measuring progress toward sustainability.UNU-IHDPandUNEP.Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress.

10 GBRMPA(2007).Annual Report 2006-2007.GreatBarrierReefMarineParkAuthority.

11 GBRMPA(2007).Economic Contribution of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, 2006-07.ResearchPublicationNo.98.GreatBarrierReefMarineParkAuthority.

12 Seeforexample:K.Noone,R.Sumaila,R.J.Díaz,editors(In press).Valuing the Ocean,StockholmEnvironmentInstitute.R.Naidoo,A.Balmford,R.Costanza,B.Fisher,R.E.Green,B.Lehner,T.R.Malcolm,T.H.Ricketts(2008).Globalmappingofecosystemservicesandconservationpriorities,Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences105(28):9495-9500.R.Costanza(1999).Theecological,economic,andsocialimportanceoftheoceans,Ecological Economics 31(2):199–213.

Gulbenkian Oceans Initiative

Francisca MouraCatarina GriloFilipa SaldanhaGonçalo Calado

Contacts

Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian Av. de Berna, 45A - 1067-001 Lisboa Telephone: (+351) 217 823 000http://oceanos.gulbenkian.pt oceanos@gulbenkian.pt

Production

Text: Catarina GriloGraphic design: TVM Designers

Credits

Page Credit

2 Underwater photo of Anacapa arch, kelp and birds, Channel Islands National Park, California, United States of America, North America. Antonio Busiello © Getty Images Portugal.

4 Three female surfers sitting on beach, rear view. Betsie Van Der Meer © Getty Images Portugal.

12 Southwest coast of Alentejo. © Helder Gonçalves.

14-15 TVM Designers, Catarina Grilo.

16 Wind turbines in sea. Michael Dunning © Getty Images Portugal.

24 France, Gironde, Bassin d’Arcachon, Cap Ferret, oyster farm and dune of Pilat. Christophe Boisvieux / hemis.fr © Getty Images Portugal

28 Seagrass beds – untitled – © Centro de Ciências do Mar da Universidade do AlgarveRocky shores – Peniche – © Catarina GriloKelp forests – Kelp forest, Adrtoe – © David Baird / CC BY-SA 2.0Hydrothermal vents – East Scotia Ridge – © Rogers AD, Tyler PA, Connelly DP, Copley JT, James R, et al. (2012) PLoS Biol 10 (1). DOI:10.1371/journal.pbio.1001234Sandy beaches – Nazaré – © Catarina GriloWater column – Mediterranean sea – © http://www.enpi-info.euFisheries and aquaculture – Moroccan fishing boats – © Helder GonçalvesUnderwater tourism – Scuba diving – © Civertan Grafikai StúdióBioprospecting – Test tubes – © Bill BransonCoastal tourism – Faial - whales watching – © Luca NebuloniMaritime transport – Shipping – © Ben Salter.