Economic valuation of mangrove ecosystem services in Vanuatu Case study of Crab Bay (Malekula Is.) and Eratap (Efate Is.) Summary report

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Economic valuation of mangrove ecosystem services in Vanuatu - Case study of Crab Bay (Malekula Is.) and Eratap (Efate Is.) Summary Report

Mangrove ecosystems play an extremely important role in our communities because of the goods that they provide in the production of wood for fuel and construction, the invertebrates and finfish for subsistence and commercial fisheries but also the services provided in coastal protection from storm surges, bioremediation, sediment trapping and carbon sequestration in mangrove soils mitigating climate change. This study assesses the Total Economic Value (TEX) of nine ecosystem services and is extremely informative because it also identifies the main beneficiaries of these services and therefore those that will be likely impacted by any new policy regarding the use of mangroves. This is the first time that an economic valuation of mangrove services has been conducted in Vanuatu. This summary report highlights the key findings of the study. The full technical report provides the details regarding methods used, data analysis and discussion of findings.