Benefits of Ocean Observing Catalog (BOOC)
Article Title
The Economic Value of America's Estuaries:2021 Update
Abstract
As sea level rise effects more American communities, the role of estuaries to protect property and sequester carbon is more important than ever. As a follow up to the 2008 report, Restore America’s Estuaries (RAE) released a timely update to its Economic Value of Estuaries report, assigning a dollar amount to the role coastal wetlands play as natural infrastructure in protecting coastal communities, industries, and infrastructure. Additionally, the report highlights estuaries as blue carbon ecosystems that play a role in sequestering carbon to mitigate climate change. As wetland loss continues due to development and as climate change increasingly threatens coastal communities with more intense and regular storms, this report aims to provide an understanding of the value of estuary regions and the critical need to invest in natural infrastructure.