Abstract

Sumaila et al. (submitted) estimated annual total use values from US marine ecosystems at $2.2 and $7.1 billion under the current and a more effective management scenario. The corresponding total non-use values were estimated at $5.2 and $8.5 billion. Hence, the sum of annual use and non-use values was estimated at $7.4 and $15.7 billion for the current and improved management scenario. In this chapter, we assign these estimated values to four marine habitats in the United States, i.e., estuaries, seamounts, coral reefs, and the remaining habitats. We find that estuaries contribute the largest value per km2, followed by seamounts, coral reefs, and then the remaining habitats. The importance of the three habitats in terms of their value per km2 cannot be overemphasized, with the cumulative percentage of the total value derived from these three habitat types exceeding 90% of the total value.