Orkney Islands Regional Marine Plan
This plan covers the management of the Scottish Marine Region for the Orkney Islands. It guides and supports decision making for development and use of the sea, and represents the second tier of marine planning, following on from the National plan.
Appendix 4: Natural Capital and Marine Ecosystem Services
Natural Capital and Ecosystem Services
A4.1 Natural capital is the stock of renewable and non-renewable natural resources (e.g. plants, animals, air, water, soils and/or minerals) that combine to yield a flow of benefits to people, that are often referred to as ecosystem services.
A4.2 Ecosystem services are processes by which the environment produces resources that are utilised by humans, such as clean air, water, food, energy and materials. A well-functioning marine ecosystem supports these vital ecosystem services.
A4.3 Ecosystem services deliver a variety of goods, such as food resources and services, and waste assimilation and treatment, which have value to human society above and beyond just maintaining ecosystem functioning[140]. A summary of the benefits of marine ecosystem services is shown in Figure A1[141].
A4.4 Benefits are the changes in human wellbeing or welfare that result from the consumption or use of goods and services or from knowing something exists. These benefits can be classified as:
- Provisioning services: these create benefits through the provision of products from nature, such as food, water and raw materials.
- Regulating services: benefits arise through the moderation of natural phenomena, for example sequestering carbon, removing pollutants from the air and regulating water flows.
- Cultural services: non-material, experiential benefits provided through interaction with nature, for example recreation, tourism and aesthetic experiences.
- Supporting services: cross-cutting services that underpin the production of all other ecosystem services, for example soil formation, nutrient cycling, provision of habitat and seed dispersal.
A4.5 The concepts of natural capital and ecosystem services have developed significantly over the past decade, gaining traction globally as a robust means of linking the underlying functioning and ecology of ecosystems to multiple benefits enjoyed by society. In 2021, the partial asset value of UK marine natural capital assets was £211 billion[142]. In 2018, the natural economy in Scotland contributed £29.1 billion gross value added to the Scottish economy (just over a fifth of its total).
Figure A1: Examples of marine ecosystem benefits © NatureScot
Figure A plain text version
Benefits from the Sea
Provisioning
Genetic resources
Sand & gravel
Harvestable seaweed
Energy
Fish and Shellfish stocks
Cultural
Tourism
Recreation
Wildlife watching
Science and education
Seascapes
Health and well-being
Creativity & art
Regulating
Storm protection
Waste breakdown and detoxification
Carbon storage
Climate and temperature regulation
Sediment stabilisation
Supporting
Food web
Nutrient cycling
Water cycling
Larval/gamete supply
Habitats for species
Water currents & sediment transport
Oceans of Value
A4.6 Oceans of Value is a project led by the Scottish Wildlife Trust that used a natural capital approach to assess key habitats and species within the Orkney Islands marine region[143]. The project was developed to investigate whether natural capital assessments could be applied to the marine environment at a Scottish marine region scale. This approach was the first of its kind and focused on the value of ecosystem services provided by the marine environment in Orkney.
A4.7 The Oceans of Value Natural Capital Assessment of the Orkney Marine Region Area[144] provides a natural capital assessment and case study evaluations. This report provides a first-stage assessment of ecosystem services by habitat within the Orkney Islands marine region.