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Integrating Ecosystem Services into a Prioritization Model for Surf Protected Areas

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Jun 08, 2023 version files 1.91 GB

Abstract

This project evaluated potential and priority locations for the establishment of Surf Protected Areas (SPAs) along the entire coastline of Brazil. To conduct this assessment, we 1) assessed the quality of Brazilian surf breaks using the established Surf Conservation Index (SCI) developed by the Save the Waves, a member of the Surf Conservation Partnership (SCP), and 2) expanded the SCI with the addition of two key ecosystem service assessments for mangrove carbon storage and coastal protection. This assessment created a list of top surf spots for priority conservation based on a ranking system including aspects such as wave quality, biodiversity, social, and economic significance. The addition of the ecosystem service assessment suggests that surf ecosystems in Brazil provide significant carbon storage and coastal protection and changed which sites were considered the highest priority for conservation. This result has significant implications for the management of surf resources. Additionally, we conducted a review of existing surf conservation projects to distill good practices in the field of surf conservation and management. Surfing will likely continue to be leveraged as a vehicle for conservation in the future; understanding broader implications of this work and developing clear guidelines is key for scaling up programs like the SCP.