Ecosystem service tradeoff analysis reveals the value of marine spatial planning for multiple ocean uses
Open Access
- 5 March 2012
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
- Vol. 109 (12), 4696-4701
- https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1114215109
Abstract
Marine spatial planning (MSP) is an emerging responsibility of resource managers around the United States and elsewhere. A key proposed advantage of MSP is that it makes tradeoffs in resource use and sector (stakeholder group) values explicit, but doing so requires tools to assess tradeoffs. We extended tradeoff analyses from economics to simultaneously assess multiple ecosystem services and the values they provide to sectors using a robust, quantitative, and transparent framework. We used the framework to assess potential conflicts among offshore wind energy, commercial fishing, and whale-watching sectors in Massachusetts and identify and quantify the value from choosing optimal wind farm designs that minimize conflicts among these sectors. Most notably, we show that using MSP over conventional planning could prevent >$1 million dollars in losses to the incumbent fishery and whale-watching sectors and could generate >$10 billion in extra value to the energy sector. The value of MSP increased with the greater the number of sectors considered and the larger the area under management. Importantly, the framework can be applied even when sectors are not measured in dollars (e.g., conservation). Making tradeoffs explicit improves transparency in decision-making, helps avoid unnecessary conflicts attributable to perceived but weak tradeoffs, and focuses debate on finding the most efficient solutions to mitigate real tradeoffs and maximize sector values. Our analysis demonstrates the utility, feasibility, and value of MSP and provides timely support for the management transitions needed for society to address the challenges of an increasingly crowded ocean environment.Keywords
This publication has 8 references indexed in Scilit:
- Evaluating tradeoffs among ecosystem services to inform marine spatial planningMarine Policy, 2013
- Near-term priorities for the science, policy and practice of Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning (CMSP)Marine Policy, 2012
- New perspectives on sea use management: Initial findings from European experience with marine spatial planningJournal of Environmental Management, 2009
- Navigating the transition to ecosystem-based management of the Great Barrier Reef, AustraliaProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2008
- Where to put things? Spatial land management to sustain biodiversity and economic returnsBiological Conservation, 2008
- Confronting the challenges of implementing marine ecosystem-based managementFrontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2007
- Public opinion about large offshore wind power: Underlying factorsEnergy Policy, 2007
- PACIFIC SALMON RESTORATION: TRADE-OFFS BETWEEN ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY AND POLITICAL ACCEPTANCEContemporary Economic Policy, 2003