Nature needs people: an overview of The Nature Conservancy's programs, research and decision-making tools for marine ecosystem services

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organisation working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. Working in over 35 countries and across 200 marine projects, TNC... [ view full abstract ]

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organisation working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. Working in over 35 countries and across 200 marine projects, TNC communicates the importance of its work by demonstrating the value of nature and its services to the livelihoods and wellbeing of people. Central to this work is TNC’s Mapping Ocean Wealth project which aims to calculate and describe—in quantitative and spatial terms—all that the ocean does for us today by moving from broad global averages of habitat science to specific local details relevant to engineers, coastal managers and developers. Our global marine research concentrates on quantifying the role coastal habitats such as mangrove forests, shellfish reefs, seagrass meadows and saltmarshes play in fish production, shoreline protection and water filtration. This science is used to support the business case to increase restoration and conservation of marine habitats and developed into practical decision-support tools such as Coastal Resilience App.; a web-based mapping tool designed to help communities understand their vulnerability from coastal hazards, reduce their risk and determine the value of nature-based solutions.