Economic Valuation of Ecosystem Services Provided by Blue Economy Ecosystems in the Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic possesses a diversity of coastal and marine ecosystems that play a crucial role in coastal protection, carbon capture, marine biodiversity conservation, and as sources of income through tourism and fishing. This study focuses on coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass meadows, and marshes, as these ecosystems provide economic opportunities within the framework of the "blue economy," fostering sustainable development that combats climate change. The economic value of these four ecosystems has been estimated by calculating the value of the goods and services they provide, to better inform decision-makers. Both market valuation techniques and non-market valuation techniques (contingent valuation) have been applied. The value of the Dominican blue economy ecosystems is estimated at $1,792 million annually, equivalent to 1.58% of the country's GDP.