Coastal Ecosystem Services

Below, you will find ecosystem services resources specifically tailored for coastal systems. We suggest that you first examine the conceptual model collection, then explore the linked resources that build from these models. This page is an evolving resource portal—it will be periodically updated as we expand our resource collection over time.

These resources were developed through two different projects. The first was piloting an approach for ecosystem services management for the National Estuarine Research Reserve System, in partnership with NOAA and NERRS. The second project was developing common models and metrics for restoration projects in the Gulf of Mexico, in partnership with HRI and TNC, supported by the NAS Gulf Research Program.

Conceptual Model Collection - Coastal Systems

Ecosystem Services Conceptual Models (ESCMs) offer an entry point for incorporating a suite of ecosystem services considerations into a program or project.

Building ESCMs - Coastal Systems

Resources for building and using ecosystem services conceptual models.

Ranger Collecting Data by US National Park Service

Ecosystem Services Metrics - Coastal Systems

Monitoring of biophysical and ecological metrics is relatively common in natural resource management, but metrics for socioeconomic (ecosystem services-related) outcomes are less common.

Model Evidence Libraries - Coastal Systems

Evidence libraries are resources that document the known evidence about each link (arrow) in an ecosystem services conceptual model (ESCM). These links represent relationships between different aspects of the system that are illustrated in the ESCM.

Use Cases - Coastal Systems

Specific use cases for varying contexts such as facilitation, choosing metrics, and identifying services and beneficiaries.

Using Ecosystem Services in Outreach - Coastal Systems

Education and outreach materials that emphasize ecosystem services are a great way to engage non-environmental stakeholders in environmental issues, because they are able to show how the environment affects things that people care about.