Mangrove Ecosystem Services Valuation: State of the Literature

To guide their decision making, marine and coastal managers are increasingly using monetary value estimates of marine ecosystem services (Börger et al. 2014). These estimates reflect various economic valuation methods. Some rely on market values of ecosystem service outputs and substitutes, and some rely on non-market approaches (Barbier et al. 2011). A growing body of literature provides estimates of ecosystem service values derived from mangroves. If this literature is to be useful in decision making, it must have a solid foundation of value estimates. This paper identifies gaps in data and knowledge regarding mangrove ecosystem service valuations and recommends ways that future research could advance understanding of mangrove ecology, ecosystem services valuation, and conservation.