Economic Valuation of Ecosystem Services Provided by Oyster Reefs

TLDR

Valuation of ecosystem services can demonstrate the importance of sustaining resources, and oyster reefs—once valued only for oysters—are now recognized for additional benefits like water quality improvement and shoreline stabilization. The study develops a framework to assess the economic value of oyster reef ecosystem services. The framework evaluates services such as water quality enhancement and shoreline stabilization to estimate their monetary value. The study estimates that oyster reef services (excluding harvesting) are worth $5,500–$99,000 per hectare per year, with median restoration costs recovered in 2–14 years, but destructive harvesting prevents cost recovery; shoreline stabilization is the most valuable service, though its value varies by location, guiding decisions on reef restoration.

Abstract

Valuation of ecosystem services can provide evidence of the importance of sustaining and enhancing those resources and the ecosystems that provide them. Long appreciated only as a commercial source of oysters, oyster reefs are now acknowledged for the other services they provide, such as enhancing water quality and stabilizing shorelines. We develop a framework to assess the value of these services. We conservatively estimate that the economic value of oyster reef services, excluding oyster harvesting, is between $5500 and $99,000 per hectare per year and that reefs recover their median restoration costs in 2–14 years. In contrast, when oyster reefs are subjected to destructive oyster harvesting, they do not recover the costs of restoration. Shoreline stabilization is the most valuable potential service, although this value varies greatly by reef location. Quantifying the economic values of ecosystem services provides guidance about when oyster reef restoration is a good use of funds.