Mapping marine ecosystem services potential across an oceanic archipelago: Applicability and limitations for decision-making

Abstract

Understanding the multiple benefits (i.e. Ecosystem Services, ES) that marine habitats provide to society is key for adequate decision-making that maintains our well-being in the long-term. The main objective of this research was to map and assess, in the context of marine spatial planning, the ES supply of shallow and deep-sea habitats in the Canary Islands across biological zones and substrate types. An ES-matrix was developed through a literature review to evaluate the supply potential, complemented with the habitats’ total extension to assess the supply capacity of each resulting ES. The matrix linked 34 habitats in relation to 42 ES, over ca. 485,000 km2. Cultural ES were the most abundant in the archipelago. On average, shallow habitats supplied potentially 25 ES compared to 17 ES by deep-sea habitats. This is likely to be explained by limitations regarding the available information suggesting that both provisioning ES and ES supply potential of the deep-sea were underestimated. The supply capacity analysis showed that particularly certain regulating and maintenance services may be at risk in the face of habitat degradation. Results enabled the extrapolation of already existing ES monetization, e.g. for those accounted for Cymodocea nodosa generating 25,633,919 € y-1 in the Canary Islands. This study provided the first comprehensive spatial assessment of ES supply potential in the Canary Islands, filling a regional knowledge gap. This enables accounting for previously overlooked ES in the region, strengthening the idea that coastal communities’ well-being in small islands depends on their marine ecosystems. Finally, results were discussed in relation to their applicability and limitations to marine spatial planning and protected area design informing on the potentially large societal benefits that may be at risk when allocating maritime activities spatially.