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Cultural Services

Cultural Services

Cultural services are the nonmaterial benefits people obtain from ecosystems through spiritual enrichment, cognitive development, recreational opportunities, aesthetic experiences, sense of place, and educational and research opportunities.

CMap

Anemones & zooanthids are cnidarians very similar to coral, but are not characteristic reef builders. Biological monitoring is the use of a biological entity as a detector and its response as a measure to determine environmental conditions. Biotechnology Research and Development involves the study of coral reef organisms and cellular and biomolecular processes to develop pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products. Contact Uses, such as biological additions, physical damage, and biological harvesting, are activities in which humans create pressures through direct contact with the ecosystem. Coral is a colonial marine animal consisting of polyps. Cultural policies are responses that impact the distribution and functioning of cultural sectors, including tourism, recreation, education, and social organization. Cultural services are the nonmaterial benefits people obtain from ecosystems through spiritual enrichment, cognitive development, recreational opportunities, aesthetic experiences, sense of place, and educational and research opportunities. Culture sectors contribute to the social, emotional, and intellectual well-being of the community. Discharges are the intentional or unintentional distribution of chemicals, debris, or other pollution, into the environment as a consequence of human activities. Ecosystem services are the benefits people obtain from ecosystems . The Education and Information sectors consists of schools, colleges, instruction and training programs that provide instruction in various subjects, organizations that conduct scientific research, and organizations that collect and distribute information. Educational & Research Opportunities pertain to the value derived from a natural ecosystem in regards to knowledge, scientific research, study, and breakthroughs, and the ability to pass this knowledge on to others. Existence value is the economic value or meaning humans place in a particular area, resource or organism simply for existing, separate from any derived use value. Fish are cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates that breathe through gills and usually have scales. The Health sector includes groups which provide for human health through medical and social care, and maintenance and disposal of waste. Health policies are responses that impact the functioning of health sectors, including waste management facilities, biomedical research, and development and sale of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. An Invertebrate is any animal that lacks a backbone. Landscape Changes are alterations of the natural landscape through human activities, including coastal development, shoreline armoring, impervious surfaces, deforestation, or soil disturbance, which can alter water flow patterns and lead to pollutant runoff into coastal systems. Marine vertebrates are aquatic animals with a backbone, such as sea turtles, whales, dolphins and marine birds. The Reef Ecosystem includes a suite of abiotic variables that form the physical and chemical environment. Pressures are human activities that create stress on the environment. Aesthetic & recreational value pertains to the value derived from the visual beauty and recreational opportunities provided by a natural ecosystem, including an assemblage of diverse, healthy, colorful, or unique species. The state of the Reef Ecosystem is the condition, in terms of quantity and quality, of the abiotic and biotic components including physical, chemical, and biological variables. Reef Habitat is the abundance, distribution, and condition of the benthic components of the reef ecosystem. Reef Inhabitants are all of the motile components of the reef ecosystem, including fish, invertebrates, marine reptiles and mammals, and are quantified by their abundance, distribution, and condition. Reef Life is the abundance, distribution, and condition of the biological components of the coral reef ecosystem. Responses are actions taken by groups or individuals in society and government to prevent, compensate, ameliorate or adapt to changes in Ecosystem Services or their perceived value. Socio-Economic Drivers include the sectors that fulfill human needs for Food & Raw Materials, Water, Shelter, Health, Culture, and Security, and the Infrastructure that supports the sectors. Sponges are sessile colonial animals with soft porous bodies supported by a fibrous skeletal framework. Supporting services are ecological processes that indirectly benefit humans by maintaining a functional ecosystem for the production of other ecosystem goods and services. Tourism & Recreation sectors operate facilities and provide services for the varied cultural, entertainment, and recreational interests of residents and tourists. Valuation is the process of estimating the worth, merit, or desirability of benefits derived from ecosystems. A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with moisture either permanently or seasonally.

CMap Description

A diverse and healthy reef provides aesthetic value and recreational opportunities (e.g., scuba diving, snorkeling, and surfing), as well as having inherent (existence) value even to individuals who may never visit or directly benefit from reefs. Large, colorful, and unique taxa, including coral, sponges, anemones, fish, invertebrates, sea turtles, and marine mammals, are particularly valued, but are dependent on complex habitat and resources provided by the reef. A diverse assemblage of reef species also provide potential educational opportunities for students, as well as research opportunities for scientists and biotechnology. The reef ecosystem contributes to the cultural identity, or sense of place, of a region and may be a factor driving coastal development. Many of the sectors that benefit from cultural ecosystem services, such as tourism and recreation, create pressures on the reef through increasing coastal development, contact uses, and pollution. Valuation methods can be used to quantify the value of cultural services. Cultural and health policies, such as education and outreach, research funding, or tourism policies, will influence the recreational and educational value derived from reefs and help shape the contribution of the reef ecosystem to the cultural identity of the community.

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