Use of coastal economic valuation in decision making in the Caribbean: Enabling conditions and lessons learned

Waite, Richard; Kushner, Benjamin; Jungwiwattanaporn, Megan; Gray, Erin; Burke, Lauretta

doi:10.1016/j.ecoser.2014.07.010

Cited by 56 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Despite these limitations, our study advances our understanding of enabling conditions and use of ES knowledge and the elements that lead to an effective science-policy interface (11,35,51). Understanding the factors that tend to enhance the impact of ES knowledge is critical.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Policy impacts of ecosystem services knowledge

Posner

McKenzie

Ricketts

2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

212

144

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Research about ecosystem services (ES) often aims to generate knowledge that influences policies and institutions for conservation and human development. However, we have limited understanding of how decision-makers use ES knowledge or what factors facilitate use. Here we address this gap and report on, to our knowledge, the first quantitative analysis of the factors and conditions that explain the policy impact of ES knowledge. We analyze a global sample of cases where similar ES knowledge was generated and applied to decision-making. We first test whether attributes of ES knowledge themselves predict different measures of impact on decisions. We find that legitimacy of knowledge is more often associated with impact than either the credibility or salience of the knowledge. We also examine whether predictor variables related to the science-to-policy process and the contextual conditions of a case are significant in predicting impact. Our findings indicate that, although many factors are important, attributes of the knowledge and aspects of the science-to-policy process that enhance legitimacy best explain the impact of ES science on decision-making. Our results are consistent with both theory and previous qualitative assessments in suggesting that the attributes and perceptions of scientific knowledge and process within which knowledge is coproduced are important determinants of whether that knowledge leads to action. ecosystem services | science policy interface | conservation | knowledge systems | boundary organizations T he ongoing loss of biological diversity and persistence of poverty have sparked interest in policies that protect, restore, and enhance ecosystem services (ES). In response, there has been a growth in ES research that aims to inform policies, incentives, and institutions on a large scale (1-3). Despite this goal, scientific knowledge about ES continues to have limited impact on policy and decisions (1, 4-7).The fact that most land-and resource-use policy decisions still do not take ES into account stems in part from an ineffective interface between ES science and policy, a need for scientists to better understand decision-making processes, and challenges in clarifying conflicting stakeholder values (8-11). In some cases, the science-policy interface is an important aspect of decisionmaking, but often the ES research and policy communities are disconnected from one another, with limited interactions, infrequent exchanges of information, and different objectives that hinder coordinated science and policy processes (12). Many scientists conduct ES research without fully considering how the knowledge they are producing might be used (5). If we want ES information to be incorporated into decisions, then we need to understand how and why decision-makers use certain kinds of information. We define "information" as a tangible, factual output of scientific research produced through specific ES analyses; "knowledge" as a body of information learned and conveyed through scientific and policy processes; ...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Policy impacts of ecosystem services knowledge

Posner

McKenzie

Ricketts

2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

212

144

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“…Our review of the ESV literature in islands and in-depth analysis of three cases offers some specific insights that can help make ESV more robust by better reflecting pluralistic values and the complex and dynamic nature of island SESs. These insights address and build on an ongoing discussion, spurred by recent studies questioning the utility of ESV to guide coastal management (Lal 2004;Pascal et al 2012;Marre et al 2016) and analyses of global experience suggesting specific contextual requirements and enabling conditions related to study design, stakeholder engagement, communications and governance that make it more likely that ecosystem service knowledge and valuation will be used in decisions (Nunes 2014;Ruckelshaus et al 2015;Waite et al 2015;Salcone et al 2016). Our methodological and procedural suggestions derived from our analysis of island ESV are aimed at making ESV more accurate, robust and useful for policy analysis and sustainability efforts.…”

Section: Insightsmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…The aim of ESV is to inform decisions (Daily et al 2009). The influence of ESV is often conceptual (i.e., knowledge broadens understanding and shapes values), rather than strategic (i.e., supporting specific policy or justifying beliefs/values) or instrumental (i.e., direct use in setting policy) Ruckelshaus et al 2015;Waite et al 2015). Conceptual use of knowledge from ESV is likely to happen early in planning processes, while strategic and instrumental uses often happen later .…”

Section: Insightsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Charting progress towards system-scale ecosystem service valuation in islands

et al. 2018

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Using islands as a model system, this paper seeks to understand how ecosystem service valuation (ESV) has and can move from a monetized, single-service paradigm to an integrated valuation paradigm, a participatory approach that represents a more diverse set of the values of nature, and beyond, to a more fully realized conception of the island social-ecological systems. A systematic literature review of 314 island ESV studies reveals developments in the design, implementation and adoption of ESV studies over time. We complement the review with three cases where this evolution is happening, thereby offering insights into successful means of translating ESV into information useful for island system-scale management, policy design and planning. Over the past 30 years, both the number of studies and the number of services addressed per study have steadily grown, and valuation methods have become more inclusive of multiple values. The cases reveal lessons for ESV practice. Insights are that ESV should increasingly: (i) recognize strong interconnections between ecosystems and between human and environmental systems; (ii) move towards more integrated valuation methods that better capture the diverse values of nature; and (iii) be based on an iterative process where knowledge and decision-support tools are co-created with decision-makers and stakeholders.

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“…Waite et al [82] conducted a literature review and personal interviews with coastal resource managers, government officials, and others throughout the Caribbean to determine the extent to which CME services valuation studies had been used in decision making. They reported that, in general, valuation studies had little impact on the policy process.…”

Section: The Caribbeanmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Elusive Quest for Valuation of Coastal and Marine Ecosystem Services

Milon

Álvarez

2019

Water

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Coastal and marine ecosystem (CME) services provide benefits to people through direct goods and services that may be harvested or enjoyed in situ and indirect services that regulate and support biological and geophysical processes now and in the future. In the past two decades, there has been an increase in the number of studies and journal articles designed to measure the economic value of the world’s CME services, although there is significantly less published research than for terrestrial ecosystems. This article provides a review of the literature on valuation of CME services along with a discussion of the theoretical and practical challenges that must be overcome to utilize valuation results in CME policy and planning at local, regional, and global scales. The review reveals that significant gaps exist in research and understanding of the broad range of CME services and their economic values. It also raises questions about the validity of aggregating ecosystem services as independent components to determine the value of a biome when there is little understanding of the relationships and feedbacks between ecosystems and the services they produce. Finally, the review indicates that economic valuation of CME services has had a negligible impact on the policy process in four main regions around the world. An alternative direction for CME services research would focus on valuing the world’s CME services in a wealth accounting framework.

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Use of coastal economic valuation in decision making in the Caribbean: Enabling conditions and lessons learned

Cited by 56 publications

References 12 publications

Policy impacts of ecosystem services knowledge

Policy impacts of ecosystem services knowledge

Charting progress towards system-scale ecosystem service valuation in islands

The Elusive Quest for Valuation of Coastal and Marine Ecosystem Services

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