Values at the Land-Sea Interface: Mapping Ecosystem Services in the Coastal Environment

While climate impacts are increasing (e.g., rising seas, increasing storm damage) so too is the desire to protect natural systems and capitalize on their protective benefits and other services. Linking ecosystem services science through mapping efforts can help students learn methods for including the value of nature in climate adaptation decisions. This hands-on lab activity was developed to introduce students to the theory and application of ecosystem service valuation and mapping at the land-sea interface. By working with case study data from British Columbia, students learn to apply ecosystem service concepts and easy-to-use, opensource software to answer engaging questions within a real-world policy and planning context. DEVELOPMENT OF AN ECOSYSTEM SERVICE MAPPING ACTIVITY Ecosystem Services are the stream of vital benefits flowing from natural capital to people. Examples of service flows that are vital to humanity include the production of goods (e.g., food from fisheries that depend on nursery habitat) and services (e.g., coastal protection from dune or wetland habitats). Coastal habitats provide one of many ecosystem services by reducing impacts from storms and increase resilience in coastal areas. However, with ever increasing human pressure on ecosystems, we need ways to identify, map, and place value on where natural habitats provide the greatest benefits to coastal communities in order to prioritize adaptation planning efforts that protect or restore those critical natural habitats. To support decision-makers in their efforts to The dune habitat surrounding Doran Beach in Sonoma County provides the ecosystem service of coastal protection. Courtesy of Eric Hartge