Valuing marine ecosystems : taking into account the value of ecosystem benefits in the Blue Economy

This publication highlights current thinking in ecosystem service valuation for the marine environment. Valuation of the direct and indirect benefits (for either societal welfare, health and economic activities) stemming from marine ecosystem services, can help to assess the long-term sustainability of blue growth, support policy development and marine management decisions, and raise awareness of the importance of the marine environment to society and in the economy. Recommendations are made on how to incorporate outputs from valuation studies into the traditional analyses used in resource and environmental economics and into the European marine policy landscape and related management and decision making choices...