Marine Atlas: Maximizing Benefits for Solomon Islands

VALUING Marine ecosystems in Solomon Islands provide significant benefits to society, including nutrition and livelihoods for the people of Solomon Islands, the Pacific and around the world. Limited land resourc- es and the dispersed and isolated nature of communities make the people of Solomon Islands heavily reliant upon the benefits of marine ecosystems.

of currents and the role of plankton in the ocean’s life cycle, among many others.

ferent species, from coral-grazing parrotfish on the reefs to the strange and mysterious animals of the deep. These and many other species and the unique marine ecosystems on which they rely are featured in the maps to follow.

Appreciating the rich diversity of marine ecosystems helps in understanding their importance to Solomon Islands. Quanti- fying the benefits of marine ecosystems in the Pacific makes it easier to highlight

These benefits, or ecosystem services, in- clude a broad range of connections between the environment and human well-being and can be divided into four categories. 1. Provisioning services are products obtained from ecosystems (e.g. fish). 2. Regulating services are benefits obtained from the regulation of ecosystem process- es (e.g. coastal protection). 3. Cultural services are the non-material bene- fits people obtain from ecosystems through spiritual enrichment, cognitive development, reflection, recreation, and aesthetic experi- ences (e.g. traditional fishing and traditional marine resource management systems). 4. Supporting services are necessary for the production of all other ecosystem servic- es (e.g. nutrient cycling, biodiversity). The maps in this chapter showcase, firstly, the biophysical prerequisites underpinning the rich values and benefits provided by marine ecosystems. These range from the volcanism at the depths of the ocean that formed the islands and atolls that now pro- vide a home to many, to the prevailing flow

and support appropriate use and sustain- able management decisions. Despite the fact that more than 95 per cent of Pa- cific Island territory is ocean, the human benefits derived from marine and coastal ecosystems are often overlooked. For example, ecosystem services are usually not visible in business transactions or na- tional economic accounts in Pacific Island countries. Assessments of the economic value of marine ecosystem services to Pacific Islanders can help make society and decision makers alike aware of their importance. Solomon Islands has therefore undertaken economic assessments of its marine and coastal ecosystem services, and is work- ing on integrating the results into national policies and development planning. These economic values are also featured in the maps of this atlas, to help maximize benefits for Solomon Islands. For further reading, please see http://macbio- pacific.info/marine-ecosystem-service- valuation/

Based on the combinations of biophysical con- ditions, the ocean provides a home to many dif-

M A R I

M A R I

HOWVALUABLE IS OUR OCEAN?

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D S ’

N E E C

N E E C

I S L A N

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M O N

M O N T E M

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N

N

O A

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B

B

A

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M

M

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G

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N SI$ 512 M SI$ 70 M SI$ 442 M SUBSISTENCE ARTISANAL 1 E T O U C A B E N E F I T F SI$ 162 M

SI$ 512 M SI$ 70 M SI$ 442 M SUBSISTENCE ARTISANAL E N S E S *

N

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F

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SI$ 162 M

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SI$ 58 M U N

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SI$ 58 M

T I

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S O A S

S O A S O

O SI$ 264 M O N N

SI$ 264 M

*

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SI$ 119 M

SI$ 119 M

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* WorldBank (2014) http://data.worldbank.org/ country/solomon-islands

Thesizeof thebubblesproportionally represents the respectivenetvalueper annum,basedon 2014data (upper valueused incaseof rangeofvalues).

Thesizeof thebubblesproportionally represents the respectivenetvalueperannum,basedon 2014data (uppervalueused incaseof rangeofvalues).

Thesizeof thebubblesproportionally represents the respectivenetvalueperannum,basedon 2014data (uppervalueused incaseof rangeofvalues).

* This refers to thenet tunavalueactually retained inSolomon Islands’economy,while thegrossvalue isSI$1,600m.

* This refers to thenet tunavalueactually retained inSolomon Islands’economy,while thegrossvalue isSI$1,600m.

The goods and services provided by the Solomon Islands’ marine ecosystems are huge . They are comparable to the country’s total export. Kiribati’s marine ecosystem services are valuable and diverse , yet often hidden .

Kiribati’s marine ecosystem services are valuable and diverse , yet often hidden . Solomon Islands’ marine ecosystem services need to be fully recognize and sustainably managed or hey may be lost forever . t y

Solomon Islands’ marine ecosystem services need to be fully recognized and sustainably managed or they may be lost forever .

MAXIMIZING BENEFITS FOR SOLOMON ISLANDS

VALUING

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