FAU’s Home & High Water S1 E3. Why Do We Care About Our Salt Marshes?

How do we value an environment? This is a question scientists and economists have been studying for decades through what’s known as ecosystem services, a term researchers use to describe what ecosystems provide to humans.

But, what about the things that aren’t quite as tangible? What if there are ecosystem services that the market doesn’t put a price tag on? What if those services are so fundamental to our daily lives and to our culture, we don’t even have the words to articulate their value? It might be more of a feeling: our mind and body feels healthier when we are in that space, it’s our home, it’s a part of our identity.

What is the cost of not having a complete picture of ecosystem services? And, how can we create space for these missing pieces?

Additional Resources:

• Read Alyssa Jones-Wood’s Masters Thesis: “Valuing the Invaluable: Piquant Georgia Low Country Marsh Ecosystem Services”

• Watch this short student spotlight video featuring the Coastal SEES research team

• Watch this video created by Coastal SEES researchers while in the field

• Learn more about FAU’s CES Coastal SEES Collaborative research project

Alyssa Jones-Wood
City of Hallandale Beach (CoHB) Sustainability & Resiliency Officer

Dr. Robert Johnston
Director of the George Perkins Marsh Institute at Clark University

Dr. Colin Polsky
CES Director