Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

Valuing Ecosystems as an Economic Part of Climate-Compatible Development Infrastructure in Coastal Zones of Kenya & Sri Lanka

Emerton, Lucy; Huxham, Mark; Bournazel, Jil; Kumara, M. Priyantha

Authors

Lucy Emerton

Jil Bournazel

M. Priyantha Kumara



Abstract

Even though ‘green’ options for addressing the impacts of climate
change have gained in currency over recent years, they are yet to be fully mainstreamed into development policy and practice. One important reason is the lack of economic evidence as to why investing in ecosystems offers a costeffective,
equitable and sustainable means of securing climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction and other development co-benefits. This chapter presents a conceptual framework for integrating ecosystem values into climate-compatible development planning. Case studies from coastal areas of Kenya and Sri Lanka illustrate
how such an approach can be applied in practice to make the economic and business case for ecosystem-based measures. It is argued that, rather than posing ‘grey’ and ‘green’ options as being necessarily in opposition to each other or as mutually
incompatible, from an economic perspective both should be seen as being part and parcel of the same basic infrastructure that is required to deliver essential development services in the face of climate change.

Citation

Emerton, L., Huxham, M., Bournazel, J., & Kumara, M. P. (2016). Valuing Ecosystems as an Economic Part of Climate-Compatible Development Infrastructure in Coastal Zones of Kenya & Sri Lanka. In Ecosystem-Based Disaster Risk Reduction and Adaptation in Practice (23-43). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-43633-3_2

Online Publication Date Aug 20, 2016
Publication Date Aug 20, 2016
Deposit Date Sep 12, 2016
Electronic ISSN 2213-6959
Pages 23-43
Series Title Advances in Natural and Technological Hazards Research
Book Title Ecosystem-Based Disaster Risk Reduction and Adaptation in Practice
Chapter Number 2
ISBN 9783319436319; 9783319436333
DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-43633-3_2
Keywords Climate-compatible development, coastal ecosystems, economic valuation, Mangroves,
Public URL http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/378291