Ecosystem Services in the Orbetello Lagoon: Estimate of Value and Possible Effects Due to Global Change

Coastal lagoons at the global scale occupy an area equivalent to 13% of continental coastlines and play a crucial role in multiple biogeochemical processes and their productivity. In these ecosystems, management choices are often suboptimal, partly due to insufficient understanding of the role of lagoons in the social and economic well-being of the communities that depend on them. The multidisciplinary approach utilized in this study to assess the ecosystem services associated with the Orbetello Lagoon enabled the determination of the value this habitat holds concerning the functioning of anthropogenic activities adjacent to the lagoon. To this end, the ecosystem services provided by the Orbetello Lagoon were defined, described, and quantified in 3.8 Mil of euro. To ascertain the specific ecosystem services, it was necessary to quantify the Natural Capital and Natural Flows that regulate the lagoon, following a protocol for the collection and organization of existing knowledge about the area and identifying knowledge gaps. The density of the benefit flow, amounting to 50.000 €/year/m2 closely depends on high cultural services and is influenced by regulating ones. Once the ecological and economic value of the Orbetello Lagoon was established, a bibliographic review was conducted to investigate the possible repercussions of major drivers related to climate change on ecosystem services.