A study on the assessment and valuation of marine ecosystem services of the Natura 2000 Network in Spain highlights the economic, cultural and environmental value of marine ecosystem services related to carbon sequestration, fisheries and tourism. This work has been carried out within the framework of the LIFE INTEMARES project, which we coordinate from the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.

A study on the assessment and valuation of marine ecosystem services of the Natura 2000 Network in Spain, carried out by the Autonomous University of Madrid, highlights the economic, cultural and environmental value of marine ecosystem services related to carbon sequestration, fisheries and tourism. This work has been carried out within the framework of the LIFE INTEMARES project, coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.

The researchers estimate that the Natura 2000 Network sites provide at least 57.6% of the total marine ecosystem services, a much higher percentage than the area they occupy (around 9%).

This analysis has made it possible to test the high value of the marine Natura 2000 Network areas in human well-being at the state level and contributes to the comprehensive management of marine protected areas in Spain, so that the different ecosystem services of the ocean can be taken into account in decision-making.

The analysis includes an economic valuation of ecosystem services and an analysis of the different future scenarios of marine spaces. It also contains a spatial representation of the existing services in the marine ecosystems of Spain, with special attention to those included in the marine Natura 2000 Network.

CARBON SEQUESTRATION

The marine areas of the Natura 2000 Network accumulate 82% of the total carbon that is absorbed by seagrass meadows in Spain. The study also highlights the importance of seagrass meadows, whose sequestration of stored carbon represents almost 70% of the annual emissions of the whole of Spain.

The value of carbon absorption provided by our seas is not only environmental, but also economic, estimated at around ten billion euros, equivalent to 0.7% of the national GDP, according to this analysis. If the amount of carbon sequestered by the ocean were to be reduced as a result of the impacts suffered by seagrass meadows, economic losses of up to €20 billion could occur in the worst scenario, according to the economic value of the tonne of carbon equivalent set by the World Bank.

These data highlight the importance of conserving carbon-sequestering ecosystems and the urgent need for integrated management of Posidonia meadows for their maintenance, regeneration and recovery.

FISHING AND TOURISM

The areas integrated into the marine Natura 2000 Network also represent an important capital for fishing gear. 44% of fish extraction, excluding traditional gear, is carried out within the Natura 2000 Network, according to this report.

Recreational and tourist services are especially important in marine areas such as the Levantine-Balearic Islands, the Gulf of Cadiz and the Strait of Gibraltar, as well as in the Canary Islands. The evaluation and mapping carried out to evaluate this service shows that it is a fundamental element for the management and conservation of coastal zones.

EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT OF MARINE SPACES

The report also highlights the need to adjust the management of each marine protected area to the characteristics of each area and its particular existing ecosystem services.

The mapping of marine ecosystem services developed has provided pioneering spatial information on a national scale in Spain, according to this analysis, and can favour important advances in the methodologies for the design of national marine strategies or for more specific elements of the management of the marine Natura 2000 Network.

EL LIFE INTEMARES

The LIFE INTEMARES project advances towards the objective of achieving an effective management of the marine areas of the Natura 2000 Network, with the active participation of the sectors involved and with research as basic tools.

The Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge coordinates the project. The ministry itself, through the Directorate-General for Biodiversity, Forests and Desertification; the Regional Government of Andalusia, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Sustainable Development, as well as the Environment and Water Agency; the Spanish Institute of Oceanography; AZTI; the University of Alicante; the Polytechnic University of Valencia; the Spanish Fisheries Confederation, SEO/BirdLife and WWF-Spain. It has the financial contribution of the LIFE Program of the European Union.