Abstract
Taiwan’s aquaculture farms are mostly established along intertidal zones and coastal land areas, and their presence may affect coastal ecosystems and their ecosystem services (ESs). Payments for ecosystem services (PES) represent a potential method of enhancing the provision of ESs for coastal aquaculture; thus, their feasibility should be discussed. In this study, we conducted focus group interviews to identify issues and collect information about coastal aquaculture in southwestern Taiwan, and we developed a PES framework for coastal aquaculture based on our findings. The identification of ESs and the inclusion of a market design (e.g. pricing, incentive, and conditionality) in a PES scheme might be key factors for successfully transforming aquaculture into an ES provider. PES schemes could be applied to coastal oyster farming in Taiwan, and coastal oyster farmers who adopt eco-friendly aquaculture should receive subsidies to secure revenues. The findings presented here will provide important reference information for policy makers and managers to design a feasible PES scheme for coastal resource management.
Highlights
The United Nations indicated in the 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment report (MEA 2005) that humans are using natural ecosystems at a greater scale and faster rate than previously reported
This study focused on developing Payment for ecosystems/environmental services (PES) for coastal aquaculture in southwestern Taiwan
The first round was held on 8 April 2015 at National Taiwan Ocean University, and the following 6 topics were discussed: (1) Coastal aquaculture is facing various environmental problems; what environmental problems might be faced by coastal aquafarmers? (2) What government measures should be taken to improve aquaculture environments? (3) Which laws serve as the legal basis for applying PES for aquaculture? (4) What are aquafarmers’ views on the protection of coastal environments? (5) Which economic methods can transform farmers into ecosystem services (ESs) providers? (6) What are feasible directions for the implementation of PESs in Taiwan?
Summary
The United Nations indicated in the 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment report (MEA 2005) that humans are using natural ecosystems at a greater scale and faster rate than previously reported These changes have imposed considerable risks and stress on these ecosystems; currently, 60% of ecosystem services (ESs) are being degraded or used unsustainably, and ecosystems are being polluted and overdeveloped (MEA 2005). The failure of management of the west coast of Taiwan has led to substantial environmental impacts that affect coastal ESs, such as coastal pollution, erosion, subsidence, coastal development, improper use of coastal resources, conflicting use of coastal areas due to habitat destruction, and natural disasters (Chiau 1998, Fan 2001, Hsu et al 2007, Jang et al 2016). We hope that our findings provide a feasible PES scheme for coastal resource management to formulate management-related recommendations and references for resource managers and policy makers
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