Cost-Benefit Assessment of Marine and Coastal Resources in the Western Indian Ocean (Island States - Draft)

Marine and coastal ecosystems are characterized by their biodiversity richness and have crucial ecosystem goods and services that highly contribute to livelihood of people and economic development of a nation.  Various sectors that link to marine and coastal ecosystems services such as fisheries, tourism, marine transportation, oil production,… are important for economic development for a given country. Unfortunately marine resources are threatened by various human pressures and natural catastrophe such as overfishing, pollution, and climate change.

Policies, strategies and international conventions such as Nairobi Convention have been developed within each nation and region to mitigate the impacts of these pressures and to better manage these marine resources. For example, Madagascar has been implemented its National policy for marine and coastal sustainable management. To enhance the implementation of these strategies and policies, the knowledge of marine ecosystem economic value should be improved. Having this crucial information is strongly support decision making in terms of the maintenance of the health of marine ecosystem and for sustainable development

The Agulhas and Somali Current Large Marine Ecosystem (ASCLME) project has approach phase to “build progressively the knowledge base and strengthens technical, managerial and decision making capabilities at the national and regional scales so as to address environmental concerns and transboundary development; build political will to undertake threat abatement activities; and leverages finances proportionate to management and governance needs”. Building a national Marine Ecosystem Diagnostic Analyses that would feed to national policy and governance and regional transboundary diagnostic is the main objectify of this data collection and synthesis of coastal and offshore data and information and capacity building.

Then this study consist of assessing cost benefit of marine and coastal resources in the island      States of the western Indian Ocean-Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles. Having information on the contribution of coastal and marine ecosystem goods and services into the economy of the ASCLME country would be useful to promote sustainable use of these resources. To have this information, the following activities have conducted: a) collate and measure economic values of ASCLME’s key ecosystem goods and services (fishing, fish farming, tourism,…), b) measure the incomes and other benefits generated by these good and services and theirs distribution among stakeholder and between countries, c) Undertake an economic risk and assessment on marine and coastal resources in these country, and d) provide economic analysis of major policy issues related to the coastal and marine ecosystem management of the ASCLME.

This preliminary report of the Part one is focused on the economic valuation of marine and coastal ecosystem.