Evaluating decision-support tools for monetary valuation of ecosystem services for Marine Protected Areas

Coastal marine resource over-exploitation has led to the loss of marine biodiversity and environmental degradation. This has serious consequences to Coastal and Marine Ecosystems (CME) and ecosystem services. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) can have positive influences on adjacent fisheries and habitat recovery, which can help resolve these issues. However, quantifying the monetary value of an MPA's potential ecosystem service delivery is notoriously difficult. In this study, we review available tools for evaluating the monetary value of CME services for MPAs. We show that only four out of the 12 most frequently used CME tools incorporate monetary value assessments for MPAs, the rest of the tools can help build monetary awareness but only indirectly. We argue that the monetary value measurement of CME services for MPAs should be based on the biophysical production of services in MPAs rather than from subjective human perspectives (e.g., Willingness to Pay surveys). This requires transdisciplinary knowledge connecting ecology and economy, to produce an ecology-based monetary value measurement. We suggest that developing this novel method could help to better understand the valuation of CME services for MPAs and make a positive influence on marine conservation. •Four out of the 12 most frequently used CME services tools incorporate monetary value assessments for MPAs.•Most CME services tools can only indirectly help build monetary awareness.•The monetary value measurement of CME services for MPAs is best based on the biophysical production of services in MPAs.