Coastal Services Center

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Paying for Seagrass Restoration in the Florida Keys

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Purpose of Study

Healthy ecosystems provide a wide range of valuable services, such as purifying water and providing habitat for fish and other wildlife that support commercial and recreational activities. When healthy ecosystems are damaged, society loses some or all of the "ecosystem services" that they would have provided, even when the damaged site will recover over time. In U.S. vs. Melvin A. Fisher (1997), the courts ruled that habitat restoration should be used to compensate the public for ecosystem services that were lost in the interim.

In 1992 a group of treasure hunters destroyed a total of 1.63 acres of sea grass within Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) while looking for gold and artifacts. The FKNMS brought the treasure hunters to court in 1997 seeking reparations for damages to the environment.

Tools Used

Non Market Valuation
Habitat Equivalency Analysis (HEA) was used to determine how much habitat needed to be restored in order to compensate the public for the ecosystem services lost while the damaged site recovered. The magnitude ogf the compensatory restoration is based on the extent of the damages, the time required for the damaged site to recover, and the time required to restore the compensatory site.

Strong currents, coupled with nocturnal grazing of seagrasses prevented the restoration of the actual seagrass beds which were damaged. An alternative set of locations within the sanctuary, locations damaged by boat propeller scars, were identified as suitable potential areas for restoration.

Outcomes

The HEA indicated that a total of 44.08 acre years of seagrass were lost due to damage by the treasure hunters. Based on these findings, they were required to compensate with 1.55 acres of seagrass at specific locations determined by sanctuary staff.

The court record indicated the cost of restoring 1.55 acres at $351,648. The cost of responding to and assessing the damage was $211,130, with interest this came to $237,663. The total cost to the treasure hunters to compensate for the damaged seagrass was $589,311.

Additional Resources

Florida Keys Case Study

Fonseca, M.S., B.E. Julius, and W.J. Kenworthy. 2000. "Integrating Biology and Economics in Seagrass Restoration: How Much Is Enough and Why?" Ecological Engineering. Volume 15. Pages 227 to 236.

Habitat Equivalency Analysis

Habitat Equivalency Analysis: An Overview
A summary of habitat equivalency analysis from NOAA's Damage Assessment and Restoration Program (DARP).

U.S. v. Melvin A. Fisher et al.
Technical papers from NOAA's Damage Assessment and Restoration Program (DARP) related to the U.S. vs. Melvin A. Fisher et al. case. General information and other examples of habitat equivalency analysis are also included.

Restoration

Articles and Books

Fonseca, Mark S., W. Judson Kenworthy, and Gordon W. Thayer. November 1998. Guidelines for the Conservation and Restoration of Seagrasses in the United States and Adjacent Waters. NOAA's Coastal Ocean Program. Decision Analysis Series Number 12.

NOAA Coastal Services Center. 2001. "Careless Drivers Damaging Marine Habitats in Florida Sanctuary." Coastal Services. September/October 2001.

Web Sites

National Park Service Habitat Restoration
An explanation of the restoration cycle and links to information on restoration efforts in the National Park Service.

NOAA Damage Assessment and Restoration Program (DARP)
The DARP is responsible for assessing and restoring coastal and marine resources. Its Web site provides information on current a restoration efforts of coastal resources and a detailed library which includes sections on legislation, outreach, and restoration.

NOAA Fisheries, NOAA Restoration Center
A description of restoration as well as an indication of the impacts of restoring marine resource habitats. This page also links to examples of restoration and funding opportunities.