Abstract

The ecosystems of China seas and coasts are undergoing rapid changes under the strong influences of both global climate change and anthropogenic activities. To understand the scope of these changes and the mechanisms behind them is of paramount importance for the sustainable development of China, and for the establishment of national policies on environment protection and climate change mitigation. Here we provide a brief review of the impacts of global climate change and human activities on the oceans in general, and on the ecosystems of China seas and coasts in particular. More importantly, we discuss the challenges we are facing and propose several research foci for China seas/coasts ecosystem studies, including long-term time series observations on multiple scales, facilities for simulation study, blue carbon, coastal ecological security, prediction of ecosystem evolution and ecosystem-based management. We also establish a link to the Future Earth program from the perspectives of two newly formed national alliances, the China Future Ocean Alliance and the Pan-China Ocean Carbon Alliance.

Abstract

As it happened with Stern Report, which made international community change their attitude related to climate change, TEEB (The Economics of Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity) was a turning point in valuing biodiversity and ecosystem services. This change of attitude happened, partially, thanks to include monetary ecosystem valuation of ecosystem services and how much their conservation and avoid their loss worth to the entire society.

Integrate monetary valuation in green infrastructure management become shortly in a need to cover societal demands. Thanks to new tools like the Natural Capital Protocol, this exercise could be delivered in a harmonise way.