Coastal Capital: Ecosystem Valuation for Decision Making in the Caribbean

The document outlines a three-phase framework (scoping, analysis, and outreach) for valuing coastal ecosystems in the Caribbean to ensure such studies translate into real-world policy influence. It identifies key enabling conditions for success, such as clear policy questions and strong stakeholder engagement, and addresses gaps in existing valuation tools by providing specific reporting guidelines and best-practice examples for the region.

• While over 100 coastal ecosystem valuation studies have been conducted in the Caribbean, only a small number have actually influenced policy, management, or investment, with the guidebook identifying 16 such cases.
• Successful valuations that influence decision-making typically share specific enabling conditions: a clear policy question, local demand, high economic dependence on and threats to resources, strong stakeholder engagement, good governance, effective communication with decision makers, and transparent methods and assumptions.
• Traditional economic analysis often fails to account for non-market ecosystem services, such as coastal protection, which can lead to underinvestment in ecosystem management and short-sighted decision-making.
• The guidebook proposes a three-phase process for valuation: Scoping (identifying policy questions and stakeholders), Analysis (developing scenarios and valuing changes in human well-being), and Outreach and Use of Results (creating non-technical products and sharing results in databases).
• The most effective valuation studies are characterized by an iterative, collaborative process between practitioners, stakeholders, and decision makers to ensure results reflect acceptable policy outcomes.
• Caribbean coastal ecosystems, including coral reefs, mangroves, beaches, and seagrasses, are under threat from pollution, overfishing, and climate change, which risks reducing the benefits they provide to tourism and fisheries.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Coastal Capital: Ecosystem Valuation for Decision Making in the Caribbean. https://www.wri.org/research/coastal-capital-ecosystem-valuation-decision-making-caribbean

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Coastal Capital: Ecosystem Valuation for Decision Making in the Caribbean. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/coastal-capital-ecosystem-valuation-decision-making-caribbean.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Coastal Capital: Ecosystem Valuation for Decision Making in the Caribbean |url=https://www.wri.org/research/coastal-capital-ecosystem-valuation-decision-making-caribbean |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendcoastal, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Coastal Capital: Ecosystem Valuation for Decision Making in the Caribbean}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/coastal-capital-ecosystem-valuation-decision-making-caribbean}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }