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 feel 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

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We are pleased to announce a collaboration with FAU Assistant Professor of Music Matt Baltrucki and music majors Zachary Binder, Brendan Lyons, and Matt Bielasiak who created the music and sound design for the episode.  

For more information about FAU's Center for Environmental Studies, visit http://www.ces.fau.edu/ To learn about CES's research, community engagement, and recent news, subscribe to our newsletter. 

Episode transcripts will be available on our website.