Seen from the Stakeholder’s revelation — valuation of ecosystem services in a small tropical Indian estuary

Abstract

The small estuaries represent the least recognized transitional systems and receive limited research priority and management focus among the coastal ecosystems worldwide. Though they provide numerous ecosystem services to the local inhabitants, these services are not adequately recorded compared to large estuaries and coastal systems. In this study, we evaluated the primary ecosystem services (ES) of Terekhol (TRE), a small tropical estuary along the west coast of India. The key ES identified were provisioning—fish and shellfish, crops and mangroves, raw materials (sand and salt), water for navigation; regulating—carbon​ sequestration, disturbance regulation and water quality control, erosion control; supporting—breeding grounds for fish and biodiversity and habitat; recreational & tourism, and cultural & information services. We used a hybrid approach to evaluate these ES using primary and secondary sources of information and scientific literature. The provisioning, regulating, supporting, recreational & tourism, and cultural & information services yielded annual economic values of US$4894018.7, US$2523095.4, US$14248456.6, US$58714.3 and US$35520 respectively. The perception of key stakeholders (fishers/farmers/tourism operators/researchers and students/ biodiversity management committee members) were assessed and documented. Most stakeholders (75%–90%) believed that TRE is essential for ferry service, raw materials, biodiversity and species, fish/shellfish, recreation, science, and education. Only 10%–15% indicated that the estuary is important for the ES, such as water quality control, sediment erosion control, and carbon sequestration. This knowledge could play a vital role in policy formulation and the decision-making process to manage and conserve the ecosystem of TRE. Moreover, the study could also trigger scientific research on the ecosystem evaluation of the least recognized transitional systems of the world.