Fairbrass A J, Fradera K, Shucksmith R, Greenhill L, Acott T, Ekins P
University College London Institute for Sustainable Resources, Central House, 14 Upper Woburn Place, London WC1H 0NN, UK.
University of the Highlands & Islands Shetland, Gremista, Lerwick, Shetland ZE1 0PX, UK.
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2025 Jan 9;380(1917):20230214. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0214.
The natural capital concept positions the natural environment as an asset, crucial for the flow of goods and benefits to humanity. There is a growing trend in applying this concept in marine environmental management in the United Kingdom (UK). This study evaluates six varied marine decisions across England, Scotland and Wales. It focuses on the evidence informing these decisions and the extent to which they represent the complete spectrum of marine natural assets and ecosystem services. We identified a reliance on various evidence types, including consultations, data and statistics, maps and literature reviews. Natural assets such as aquatic resources and energy sources were most frequently evidenced. Fishing was the predominant provisioning ecosystem service benefit. There was a notable gap in evidence on marine habitats' water quality regulation service. Recreation and tourism dominated the cultural ecosystem service evidence, with less focus on indirect uses such as spiritual nature connections. We reveal gaps in the evidence in marine decisions on significant marine ecosystem service benefits. Our study provides additional evidence to an already identified need to fill evidence gaps in marine water regulation and non-use values of the UK's marine environments.This article is part of the discussion meeting issue 'Bending the curve towards nature recovery: building on Georgina Mace's legacy for a biodiverse future'.
自然资本概念将自然环境定位为一种资产，对人类的物资流动和福祉至关重要。在英国，将这一概念应用于海洋环境管理的趋势日益增强。本研究评估了英格兰、苏格兰和威尔士的六个不同的海洋决策。它关注为这些决策提供依据的证据，以及它们在多大程度上代表了海洋自然资产和生态系统服务的全貌。我们发现这些决策依赖于各种证据类型，包括咨询、数据与统计、地图以及文献综述。水生资源和能源等自然资产的证据最为常见。渔业是主要的供给生态系统服务效益。海洋栖息地水质调节服务的证据存在显著差距。娱乐和旅游业在文化生态系统服务证据中占主导地位，而对诸如与自然的精神联系等间接用途的关注较少。我们揭示了海洋决策在重要海洋生态系统服务效益方面的证据差距。我们的研究为已确定的填补英国海洋环境水调节和非使用价值方面证据空白的需求提供了更多证据。本文是“向自然恢复转变：以乔治娜·梅斯的遗产为基础，实现生物多样性未来”讨论会议题的一部分。
