A B S T R A C TWe are increasingly confronted with severe social and economic impacts of environmental degradation all over the world. From a valuation perspective, environmental problems and conflicts originate from trade-offs http://dx.Ecosystem Services (xxxx) xxxx-xxxx 2212-0416/ Ecosystem services Intrinsic value Benefits of nature Quality of life Participation Social and environmental justice Decision supportbetween values. The urgency and importance to integrate nature's diverse values in decisions and actions stand out more than ever.Valuation, in its broad sense of 'assigning importance', is inherently part of most decisions on natural resource and land use. Scholars from different traditions -while moving from heuristic interdisciplinary debate to applied transdisciplinary science-now acknowledge the need for combining multiple disciplines and methods to represent the diverse set of values of nature. This growing group of scientists and practitioners share the ambition to explore how combinations of ecological, socio-cultural and economic valuation tools can support real-life resource and land use decision-making.The current sustainability challenges and the ineffectiveness of single-value approaches to offer relief demonstrate that continuing along a single path is no option. We advocate for the adherence of a plural valuation culture and its establishment as a common practice, by contesting and complementing ineffective and discriminatory single-value approaches. In policy and decision contexts with a willingness to improve sustainability, integrated valuation approaches can be blended in existing processes, whereas in contexts of power asymmetries or environmental conflicts, integrated valuation can promote the inclusion of diverse values through action research and support the struggle for social and environmental justice.The special issue and this editorial synthesis paper bring together lessons from pioneer case studies and research papers, synthesizing main challenges and setting out priorities for the years to come for the field of integrated valuation.

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The crisis facing the world's oceans from plastics is well documented, yet there is little knowledge of the perspectives, experiences and options of the coastal communities facing overwhelming quantities of plastics on their beaches and in their fishing waters. In emerging economies such as those in the Coral Triangle, the communities affected are among the poorest of their countries. To understand the consequences of ocean plastic pollution in coastal regions, through the eyes of local people, this study examines the knowledge, use, disposal and local consequences of single use plastics in remote island communities in two archipelagos of southern Sulawesi, Indonesia. Using mixed methods-a survey of plastic literacy and behaviour, household interviews about purchasing and disposal, and focus group discussions to generate shared mental models-we identify a complex set of factors contributing to extensive plastic leakage into the marine environment. The rising standard of living has allowed people in low resource, remote communities to buy more single-use plastic items than they could before. Meanwhile complex geography and minimal collection services make waste management a difficult issue, and leave the communities themselves to shoulder the impacts of the ocean plastic crisis. Although plastic literacy is low, there is little the coastal communities can do unless presented with better choice architecture both on the supply side and in disposal options. Our results suggest that for such coastal communities improved waste disposal is urgent. Responsible supply chains and non-plastic alternatives are needed. Producers and manufacturers can no longer focus only on low-cost packaged products, without taking responsibility for the outcomes. Without access to biodegradable, environmentally friendly products, and a circular plastic system, coastal communities and surrounding marine ecosystems will continue to be inundated in plastic waste.

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The importance of communities is well recognized in the protection and enhancement of ecosystem services (ES), yet the influences of individuals within and on communities are often overlooked. Individual and community agency are pertinent in small-scale fisheries, given that livelihoods of many millions of these fishers worldwide depend on ES derived from coral reefs and seagrass beds. In eastern Indonesia the rapid spread of destructive fishing practices has serious impacts on these marine and coastal ecosystems. Policy is complex, with three levels of government involved, and communities also seeking to apply customary marine management and fishing rules. Effective deterrence and enforcement prove difficult for both communities and government, especially in remote places. Community-based marine protected areas, and government or aid-led educational programs, are attempted, but are insufficient against the pressures of well-organized illegal fishing supply chains. On Selayar Island, in South Sulawesi province, Indonesia, certain local “champions,” fishers and others exerting influence within their communities, and “island champions (IC),” individuals working at island level from local government and non-government roles, are developing their own—often unorthodox—strategies to mobilize social change to protect ES. Through in-depth interviews supported by participant observation we investigated how these individuals become motivated, and how they operate to protect local ecosystems such as coral reefs and seagrass meadows. We document what inspired them, what strategies they follow, their observations on barriers, and their key messages for others. Understanding these very unofficial, individual and small-group processes that occur outside conventional policy-making and ecosystem governance can allow sharing of effective strategies to encourage potential champions elsewhere, and support community agency in protecting marine ES.