Chapter 3 of 4
Economics
What does it cost, and what is it worth?
What marine restoration costs, what it is worth and who pays: costs of the work and of monitoring, the value of ecosystem services, and the funding available.
2 paths
About this chapter
What this chapter covers
Restoration has a price, and so does doing nothing. This chapter looks at the money side: what the work costs from survey to transplanting, the long tail of monitoring that plans often forget, and how cost-benefit analysis compares a project with the alternatives.
It also covers what healthy habitats give back, from nursery grounds for fish to coastal protection and carbon storage, how these ecosystem services are valued, and how restoration is funded through EU instruments and blended finance. The people who work the sea, fishers above all, are part of the picture from the start.
Its guided paths follow either the full ledger, for planners and researchers, or the local economy, for anyone living on the coast.
Questions it answers
- How much does a marine restoration project cost, and where does the money go?
- What is a healthy habitat worth, and how is that value measured?
- How do you compare the costs and benefits of a restoration project?
- Which EU funds and financial instruments can pay for it?
- How does restoration affect fishers and local economies?
At a glance
What you will find inside
- guided paths
- 2
- pages
- 6
- to read every page
- 35 min
- sources
- 4
Pages by level
- Introductory · 3
- Intermediate · 2
- Advanced · 1
Paths written for
- Planners and public officers
- Researchers
- Curious citizens
Sources by type
Guided paths in this chapter
Each path is a short route through the pages of this chapter, on one topic, for a kind of reader. Pick the one that fits.
Conservation
Other paths
Go deeper
Sources in this chapter
The papers, datasets and guidelines cited by the pages above.
- Survey
Financing marine restoration in Europe: a survey of instruments (sample)
Public funds, private investment and blended finance used for marine restoration projects so far.
- Guidelines
Marine restoration handbook (MERCES, sample)
Practical guidance on restoring seagrass, macroalgal forests and coralligenous habitats, with costs and lessons learnt.
- Tool
Restoration cost calculator (sample tool)
Estimates cost ranges per hectare for common marine restoration techniques.
- Restoration measure
Seagrass meadow restoration in the Adriatic Sea
Restoration of Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows via transplantation in the northern Adriatic. Keyword tag: ZOSTERA.