Conference Keynote Talk: Rethinking Marine Ecosystem Services

RETHINKING MARINE ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

EVANGELIA (VALIA) DRAKOU

MARINE SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

A valuable ocean… under threat

“It is a curious situation that the sea, from which life first

arose should now be threatened by the activities of one

form of that life. But the sea, though changed in a

sinister way, will continue to exist;

the threat is rather

to life itself.”

― Rachel Carson, The Sea Around Us

MARINE SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

MSP Directive (2014/89/EC)

Blue Growth

MSFD Directive (2008/56/EC)

Good Environmental Status

SETTING PRIORITIES

MARINE SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

“…to establish missing or

strengthen weak links of

science to marine

applications of direct social

benefits…”

THE MARINE ECOSYSTEM SERVICES CONCEPT

THE MARINE ECOSYSTEM SERVICES CONCEPT

Linear

OCEAN

Linear

Binary

FROM THEORY…

Linear

Binary

Place-based

THE MARINE ECOSYSTEM SERVICES CONCEPT

e.g., fisheries: Ecosystem-based management (EBM)

Complexity and data needs

Single Species

Multispecies

Ecosystem

& Human Dimension

…TO PRACTICE

MARINE SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM FLOWS

MARINE SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM FLOWS

MARINE SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM FLOWS

We are always connected to

the ocean, no matter where

MARINE SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM FLOWS

MARINE SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM FLOWS

Spatial

Location, Extent

and Scale

MARINE SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM FLOWS

NB

(s

)

ES

(s

)

ES

(s

)

ES

(s

)

INB

(s

)

INB

(s

)

INB

(s

)

Ecological

function

(s

)

Ecological

outcome

(s

)

Ecosystem (E)

IP

_IP

IP

IP

- +

- +

- +

-+

- +

THE EXTRA-LOCAL FRAMEWORK

Focus on

intermediate

MARINE SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM FLOWS

THE EXTRA-LOCAL FRAMEWORK

1. ES provided by tuna fisheries of

the West and Central Pacific

Ocean region

2. Climate regulation ES provided

by mangrove forests in South

MARINE SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM FLOWS

1. THE WCPO FISHERIES

1. THE WCPO FISHERIES

MARINE SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM FLOWS

Benefits from

ES supply

_{intermediate steps}

Benefits at the

(processing/canning/

loining)

Benefits at the place

of final demand

1. THE WCPO FISHERIES

2. CLIMATE REGULATION

MARINE SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM FLOWS

Mangroves in

the coast of

Mimika bay

(s

)

Carbon storage

and

sequestration

(s

)

Climate

regulation

benefit

(s

)

Coast of Mimika bay

(E)

2. CLIMATE REGULATION

MARINE SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM FLOWS

Mangroves in the coast of Mimika bay

Area of ES Supply

Social Cost of Carbon per region

Distribution of benefit

• Population vulnerability to climate

change

• GDP

• Countries’ investment regimes.

MARINE SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM FLOWS

MARINE SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM FLOWS

‘THE ADDED VALUE OF THE EXTRA-LOCAL APPROACH

The significance of

distant (extra-local) flows in marine ES

‘THE ADDED VALUE OF THE EXTRA-LOCAL APPROACH

MARINE SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM FLOWS

The significance of

intermediate benefits/ beneficiaries of

marine ES

Only 10% is

processed

locally

‘THE ADDED VALUE OF THE EXTRA-LOCAL APPROACH

MARINE SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM FLOWS

Implications for

attribution of benefits among societal groups

involved

0.5% of the value

chain benefits the

local WCPO

communities

Local

beneficiaries

Global

beneficiaries

‘THE ADDED VALUE OF THE EXTRA-LOCAL APPROACH

MARINE SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM FLOWS

The significance of

cross-scale flows of benefits from marine

ES (BUT the lack of robust methods to quantify and map them)

Social Cost of Carbon per region

‘THE ADDED VALUE OF THE EXTRA-LOCAL APPROACH

MARINE SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM FLOWS

Ocean NB (sn) ES₂ (s2) ES₃ (s3) ES_n-1 (sn-1) INB (s2) INB (s3) INB (sn-1) Ecological function (s1) Ecological outcome (s1) IP2 _{IP3 IPn-1 IPn} -+ -+ -+ -+ -+

Marine ES contribute to a

multitude of societal groups within

urban, rural systems

FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE?

MARINE SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM FLOWS

Seafood

supply

Tourism

supply

Tourism

demand

Explore

trade-offs and bundles emerging across the flows

THE WAY FORWARD

MARINE SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM FLOWS

Revise our

methods and improve our quantification and mapping to

account for these interactions across scales in space and time.

THE WAY FORWARD

MARINE SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM FLOWS

Open our eyes to

novel methods of data acquisition

Smartfin

Improve the way we quantify and map

marine ES demand both

spatially and across different societal groups.

Restaurants

Individuals

THE WAY FORWARD

We should

focus on multi-level stakeholders/beneficiaries while

taking into account the inherent power dynamics

Major seafood companies & countries they impact

THE WAY FORWARD

MARINE SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM FLOWS

Include a

broader range of stakeholders, to account for a broader range

of societal actions that impact the state of marine systems.

THE WAY FORWARD

FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE

MARINE ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

We have to look at marine systems beyond

“linear-binary-placed based”, but more as a

system of

reciprocal interactions and

feedback loops.

We have to “

unbuild sectoral and

disciplinary walls” and place marine

AS WE ARE HEADING TOWARDS THE URBANIZATION OF

THE OCEANS…

We have to place the ocean in non-ocean (urban / rural)

policy agendas,

…just as we did with the atmosphere.