Coastal Capital: Ecosystem Valuation for Decision Making in the Caribbean

This guidebook by the World Resources Institute provides a framework for conducting coastal ecosystem valuations in the Caribbean to better inform policy, management, and investment decisions. It outlines a three-phase process—scoping, analysis, and outreach—emphasizing that while over 100 such studies have been conducted in the region, only a minority have influenced actual decision-making.

• Despite the prevalence of coastal ecosystem valuation studies in the Caribbean, with more than 100 conducted to date, only a small number have successfully influenced policy, management, or investment. The guidebook identifies 16 specific cases where such influence was observed.
• The guidebook identifies several enabling conditions that increase the likelihood of a valuation study impacting real-world decision-making. These include having a clear policy question, local demand for the valuation, strong stakeholder engagement, good governance, effective communication with decision makers, and a clear presentation of methods, assumptions, and limitations, as well as high levels of economic dependence on and threats to coastal resources.
• Traditional economic analysis often fails to account for the benefits of coastal ecosystems, particularly non-market services like coastal protection. This undervaluing can lead to short-sighted decisions and underinvestment in the management and protection of these ecosystems.
• The guidebook proposes a three-phase methodology for valuation practitioners: 1. Scoping: Identifying the policy question, reviewing previous studies, and engaging stakeholders and decision makers. 2. Analysis: Using participatory processes to develop alternative future scenarios, identifying causal links to ecosystem health, choosing valuation methods for human well-being, and analyzing biophysical and socioeconomic data. 3. Outreach and Use of Results: Creating non-technical products, communicating with decision makers, and sharing results via online databases.
• Effective coastal valuations typically require an iterative and collaborative process involving valuation practitioners, stakeholders, and decision makers across all phases to ensure results reflect acceptable scenarios and policy outcomes.
• Tropical coastal ecosystems in the Caribbean, including mangroves, coral reefs, seagrasses, and beaches, are critical for tourism, fisheries, and shoreline protection, but are threatened by climate change, pollution, and overfishing.

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} }