Study finds coastal wetlands generate $90 million annually for Virginia communities

A new study led by William & Mary’s Battren School & Vims shows that the tidal marshes, including natural wetlands and artificial living shores, generate approximately $ 90 million per year in economic value for communities in the Virginia average peninsula.

Published in the journal Nature -based solutionsThe study combined ecological data, spatial modeling, economic assessment and stakeholders’ surveys to assess the current and projected advantages of marsh ecosystems.

The economic evaluations of the study were used to develop the shore (tool for estimating the business of the Servie), a new online tool designed to support coastal communities by estimating the economic benefits of the marshes as well as living coastal projects.

“This study examines wetlands under a certain number of perspectives and puts values focused on the benefits of the advantages they offer,” said Donna Bilkovic, professor and deputy director of the Center for Coastal Resources Management (CCRM) on Baten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences & Vims.

“These data serve as a basis for a shore, allowing local planners and individual landowners to better understand the potential environmental and economic advantages associated with living shore projects and the protection and restoration efforts of marshes.

The study has represented many services provided by marshes and living shores, including storm protection, elimination of nutrients, carbon sequestration, habitat for the advantages of fish and fauna and leisure and tourism.

When combined, these represented 3.3% of the annual gross domestic product of the intermediate peninsula. Taking into account the potential for expanding marshes and the broader adoption of living shores for the protection of erosion, the study estimates that these advantages could increase to $ 168 million per year by 2050.

“Our survey results have highlighted the differences in the way stakeholder groups perceive the advantages of coastal marshes,” said Bilkovic. “Political decision -makers tended to prioritize storm risk reduction and ecological advantages, while local residents and fishermen have also given great value to leisure and peaches.”

A new planning tool for coastal resilience

Living shores have been shown to provide ecosystem services comparable to natural wetlands, with high performance in reducing erosion and biodiversity support.

In Virginia, living shores are necessary for erosion control projects that are appropriate. The study provides that, if adoption increases, there is the potential that more than 2,500 hectares of marshes could be improved or restored, offering significant economic and ecological yields.

“Our objective in the design of Shore-Bet was to create a friendly online platform to help coastal decision-makers, planners and owners of properties to explore the advantages of the community provided by living shores,” said Andrew Scheld, study co-author and expert in the Batten School & Vims.

“It is among the first tools of this type to integrate economic, ecological and geospatial data to guide coastal management decisions.”

Shore-Bet allows users to calculate ecological service values for living shores and natural marshes, with the possibility of entering specific property or user’s project. It provides projections of the coast’s advantages until 2050, helping users to assess the long -term impacts of coastal management strategies.

“By combining data research data and communities contribution, Shore-Bet can help guarantee that coastal decisions reflect both scientific priorities and stakeholders, potentially promoting a development to a model focused on the watersheds that maximizes the shared advantages,” said Bilkovic.