Delaware’s ocean and bay waters have competing uses that increase the urgency for marine spatial planning that incorporates data in decision making. The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) is developing a Delaware Ocean and Bay Plan to guide resource use, management, and conservation of marine waters off Delaware’s coast.
DNREC requested support from EFC to develop a marine valuation roadmap to guide research questions related to total economic value. Building on the University of Delaware’s geospatial inventory and DNREC’s “Blue Economy, Blue Environment, and Blue Foundation” framework, EFC’s work supported planning by identifying, describing, and documenting indirect and nonuse values of marine resources and water-dependent human activity—values that help decision making and balance ocean and bay activities with conservation.
EFC partnered with the Trust for Public Land to engage a workgroup with DNREC and other academic and technical partners. Key outputs included: an annotated bibliography and valuation summary table; a technical summary and discussion guide organized by DNREC’s planning categories; workgroup meeting summaries and a ranked list of fundable research questions; and a final roadmap report with presentation materials. The roadmap identifies research priorities for future funding and supports clearer communication of the breadth of benefits the marine environment provides to people.
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