Coastal SEES Collaborative Research: Coastal Sustainability: A cross-site comparison of salt marsh persistence in response to sea-level rise and feedbacks from social adaptations

Coastal ecosystems are often valued for decision-making purposes based on monetized market and non-market values of goods and services, and associated economic impacts. Examples include values of fishery landings, price changes for waterfront homes, and tourism revenues. Monetized quantities such as these do not provide a comprehensive characterization of the values provided by these ecosystems. Human reliance on the goods and services provided by ecosystems and the global decline in the health of many of these ecosystems suggests the need for ecosystem valuation to help inform decision-making and conservation policy. However, traditionally employed economic valuation methods are rarely able to capture the full scope of the benefits ecosystems provide, including benefits provided by "cultural" ecosystem services. Qualitative methods such as focus groups can provide insight on these values not available through quantitative methods alone. This research explores public perceptions of salt marsh value through the use of semi-structured focus groups in marsh-adjacent communities in Massachusetts, Virginia, and Georgia. The data include de-identified focus group transcripts from three 90-minute focus groups held in each state. Initial questions were drawn from the same semi-structured question list in each focus group, with exploratory follow-up questions based on participant responses. Results of text analysis suggest that in case study communities, outdoor experiences in salt marshes inspire serenity in Massachusetts, influence shore identities in Virginia, and promote stewardship cultivation in Georgia. Perceived threats to these benefits, such as the threat of residential development, industrial pollution, and increasing flood risk, together constitute the context for various community responses related to marsh protection. Results supplement information from extant economic valuations and show the importance of utilizing diverse methods to elicit information on social value. This project was supported by the National Science Foundation grant 1427105.

滨海生态系统的价值评估常以商品与服务的货币化市场价值、非市场价值以及相关经济影响为依据，服务于决策制定。相关示例包括渔业捕捞产值、滨水住宅价格波动及旅游收入。但此类货币化量化指标无法全面表征这类生态系统所提供的全部价值。人类对生态系统商品与服务的依赖，以及全球范围内众多生态系统健康状况的持续衰退，均凸显了开展生态系统价值评估以辅助决策制定与保护政策制定的必要性。然而，传统经济评估方法往往难以全面涵盖生态系统所提供的各类效益，其中包括“文化型”生态系统服务所带来的效益。焦点小组（focus group）访谈等质性研究方法，则可获取仅靠定量方法无法得到的这类价值相关洞察。本研究通过在马萨诸塞州、弗吉尼亚州及佐治亚州毗邻盐沼（salt marsh）的社区开展半结构化焦点小组访谈，探究公众对盐沼价值的认知。本数据集包含每个州开展的3场时长90分钟的焦点小组访谈的去标识化转录文本。每场焦点小组的初始问题均源自同一套半结构化问卷，并根据参与者的反馈设置探索性后续问题。文本分析结果显示，在各案例研究社区中，盐沼户外体验在马萨诸塞州能为参与者带来宁静感，在弗吉尼亚州会塑造其滨水身份认同，在佐治亚州则有助于培育生态保护责任意识。公众所感知的对这些效益的威胁，包括住宅开发、工业污染以及日益加剧的洪水风险等，共同构成了社区各类盐沼保护相关应对措施的背景。本研究结果补充了现有经济价值评估的相关信息，并彰显了运用多元方法获取社会价值相关信息的重要性。本项目由美国国家科学基金会（National Science Foundation）资助，项目编号1427105。