Title

Ecosystem service tradeoff analysis reveals the value of marine spatial planning for multiple ocean uses

Author Info

Crow White, University of California - Santa BarbaraFollow
Benjamin S. Halpern, University of California - Santa Barbara
Carrie V. Kappel, University of California - Santa Barbara

Recommended Citation

Postprint version. Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Volume 109, Issue 12, March 20, 2012, pages 4696-4701.

NOTE: At the time of publication, the author Crow White was not yet affiliated with Cal Poly.

The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1114215109.

Abstract

Marine spatial planning (MSP) is an emerging responsibility of resource managers around the United States and elsewhere. A key proposed advantage of MSP is that it makes tradeoffs in resource use and sector (stakeholder group) values explicit, but doing so requires tools to assess tradeoffs. We extended tradeoff analyses from economics to simultaneously assess multiple ecosystem services and the values they provide to sectors using a robust, quantitative, and transparent framework. We used the framework to assess potential conflicts among offshore wind energy, commercial fishing, and whale-watching sectors in Massachusetts and identify and quantify the value from choosing optimal wind farm designs that minimize conflicts among these sectors. Most notably, we show that using MSP over conventional planning could prevent >$1 million dollars in losses to the incumbent fishery and whale-watching sectors and could generate >$10 billion in extra value to the energy sector. The value of MSP increased with the greater the number of sectors considered and the larger the area under management. Importantly, the framework can be applied even when sectors are not measured in dollars (e.g., conservation). Making tradeoffs explicit improves transparency in decision-making, helps avoid unnecessary conflicts attributable to perceived but weak tradeoffs, and focuses debate on finding the most efficient solutions to mitigate real tradeoffs and maximize sector values. Our analysis demonstrates the utility, feasibility, and value of MSP and provides timely support for the management transitions needed for society to address the challenges of an increasingly crowded ocean environment.

Disciplines

Biology

Copyright

2012 National Academy of Sciences.