Abstract

Aquatic ecosystems support human wellbeing and provide services critical to furthering and maintaining wellbeing and health, through, e.g., provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting ecosystem services, and sustainable development. Servicing these ecosystems and their links to human wellbeing and health, while vital to policy and management, is often overlooked. This study assesses aquatic ecosystem services for human wellbeing, health, and sustainability through provisioning, risk mitigation, cultural benefits, and recreation. Analyzing these datasets through field surveys, ecosystem service valuation, and sustainability indicators, this paper assesses how aquatic ecosystems fortify community resilience and stimulate economic and social cohesion. Most importantly, the data revealed that managed aquatic ecosystems improve human health and wellbeing while sustaining the service economy, social wellbeing, and supporting long-term ecosystem sustainability. This study also documented the impacts that climate change, pollution, and habitat loss have on these ecosystems. This aligns with the growing concern that attacks on aquatic ecosystems pose to sustainable climate management and ecosystem-driven economies, making this study essential to many. Ultimately, this research seeks to provide and support environmentally sustainable climate policies and ecosystem management to preserve and intergenerationally sustain the services supporting ecosystems and the services and climate managed by ecosystems beyond simply their climate stabilization.

Keywords: Aquatic ecosystem services, Human wellbeing, Sustainability, Environmental management, Climate change, Ecosystem valuation