1. 16th COP of the Barcelona Convention, Marrakech, 3-5th November 2009.
Mediterranean marine and coastal ecosystems: an economic valuation
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2. Framework: Objectives; Conceptual framework; Methodology
Plan
Framework: Objectives; Conceptual framework; Methodology
Results: At the regional scale; At the national scale; Discussions
Perspectives: Study implications; Policy implications 2

3. Contribute to the economic analysis of ecosystems in line with:
Framework Objectives
Enhance awareness of the benefits to society provided by marine and coastal ecosystem in the Mediterranean region
Offer policy makers a common metric for better management of environmental issues
Contribute to the economic analysis of ecosystems in line with:
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA, );
Accounting for Economic Activities in Large Marine Ecosystems and Regional Seas (UNEP, 2006);
System of Environmental and Economic Accounting (UN, 2003);
The Economics of Ecosystem and Biodiversity (EC, ) … 3

4. Framework Conceptual framework
Contribution of ecosystem to human well being
Plan Bleu (2008)
Inspired from the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, Accounting for Economic Activities in Large Marine Ecosystems and Regional Seas and The Economics of Ecosystem and Biodiversity
Macroeconomic approach at regional scale
Adapted from the System of Environmental and Economic Accounting
Excluding non sustainable uses of ecosystem services 4

5. Framework Methodology
First exploration at the scale of the Mediterranean sea
Implementation of a quantitative analysis of the economic value of ecosystem services
Benefits provided by marine and coastal ecosystems to riparian countries
Estimation of the benefits based on proxy values
Focused on direct benefits e.g. fishing excluding sea food processing
Methodology and preliminary results constrained by existing data availability 5

6. Results At the regional scale
Annual value of direct benefits in 2005:
Benefits
Proxy
Value (million €)
Fishing and aquaculture
VA * SC (=0.8)
2 869
Hotels and restaurants
5% VACA
4 133
Int. Tourism
3 804
Real estate
5% housing expenditures in CA
11 198
Coastal protection from erosion
Protection expenditures * threatened artificialized CA *presence of Posidonia meadows
530
Global climate regulation
Sequestrated CO2 value
2 220
Regional climate regulation
Recorded rainfall in catchment area * water shadow price
2 490
Waste treatment
CA sewage * compensation fee
2 570
Total benefits
Aggregation
29 814
VA : Value Added
SC : sustainability Coefficient
29,8 billion € represent 15% of the Greek GNI and 1,3 times the Tunisian GNI.
VA: Value Added
SC: Sustainability Coefficient
CA: Coastal Areas 6

7. Results At the national scale
Two countries in focus(1) : Greece and Tunisia
Benefits
Values for Greece
(million €)
Values for Tunisia
Fishing and aquaculture
735
206
Hotels and restaurants
680
125
Int. Tourism
443 70
Real estate
1 078
77(2)
Coastal protection from erosion
Global climate regulation
100 20
Regional climate regulation 23 4
Waste treatment
216 58
Total benefits
3 275
560
Gross National Income
22 035
% of GNI 2% 3%
Bien que  l’écart de la valeur totale des bénéfice soit importante (Grèce = 5,8 fois la Tunisie), on observe le même ordre de proportion (rente/PIN) : 2% pour la Grèce et 3% pour la Tunisie.
The value of the total benefits in Greece worth
5,8 times the value of benefits in Tunisia
(1) National disaggregation from the regional study, same coefficient applied.
(2) estimation assuming same ratio of VA in real estate to GNI as in Turkey, i.e. 17% 7

8. Results Discussions
The results:
Illustrate the importance of services provided by marine and coastal ecosystem
Provide a low estimation of all benefits included:
Only some direct benefits were valuable (data needs, …);
Valuation doesn’t count indirect benefits (spread in the different linked activities, ex: benefits to the fishing branch…);
This valuation doesn’t reflect the value of the stock (natural capital) but only the flows for one year (benefits provided)
Need to be comforted, reinforced. 8

9. Implications of the methodology used:
Results Discussions
Implications of the methodology used:
Restriction to sustainable uses of ecosystem services results in a lower value of the benefits provided.
Application of the SEEA framework to marine and coastal ecosystems requires extensive data generation, collection, and dissemination
Estimation at the macro level should be consistant with results obtained in local studies. 9

10. Perspectives Study implications
Possible improvements:
Promote acquisition of ecological and economic data
Implementation of studies at national or sub national scale
Local studies required to assess the benefits provided by remarkable ecosystems such as Posidonia meadows
Sector coverage still in progress : marine transportation, aggregate extraction, …
Identify key issues with Mediterranean stakeholders:
Economic dependency on natural assets?
Cost of ecosystem degradation?
Benefits of conservation?
Introduction of economic incentives (e.g Payment for Ecosystem Services)?
Green accounting? Etc. 10

11. Perspectives Usefulness of such studies
Highlight our economic dependency on ecosystem services provided by the Mediterranean sea:
Dependency linked to the abundance, quality, and resilience of natural assets
Warn against a possible “Tragedy of the commons” (Hardin, 1968).
Stress the pros and cons of introducing incentives to limit opportunistic behaviors in the exploitation of natural resource, and the risks of environmental impacts detrimental to ecosystem services. 11

12. Perspectives Usefulness of such studies
Balance benefits provided and environmental impacts: policy implications
Identification of environmental functioning and impacts, and quantification of physical flows
Quantitative assessment of the costs of environmental degradation (TEEB running project) and the benefits of conservation.
Inclusion of environmental assets and flows in national economic assessments of riparian countries (using the SEEA approach). 12

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