Integrating methods for ecosystem service assessment and valuation: Mixed methods or mixed messages?

Abstract

22A mixed-method approach was used to assess and value the ecosystem services derived from the 23 Dogger Bank, an extensive shallow sand bank in the southern North Sea. Three parallel studies were 24 undertaken that 1) identified and quantified, where possible, how indicators for ecosystem service 25 provision may change according to two future scenarios, 2) assessed members of the public's 26 willingness-to-pay for improvements to a small number of ecosystem services as a consequence of a 27 hypothetical management plan, and 3) facilitated a process of deliberation that allowed members of 28 the public to explore the uses of the Dogger Bank and the conflicts and dilemmas involved in its 29 management. Each of these studies was designed to answer different and specific research 30 questions and therefore contributes different insights about the ecosystem services delivered by the 31 Dogger Bank. This paper explores what can be gained by bringing these findings together post hoc 32 and the extent to which the different methods are complementary. Findings suggest that mixed-33 method research brings more understanding than can be gained from the individual approaches 34 alone. Nevertheless, the choice of methods used and how these methods are implemented strongly 35 affects the results obtained. 36 37 2

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