Exploring the social, economic, and ecological dimensions of managing marine ecosystems

The degradation of marine and coastal ecosystems, compounded by the impacts of climate change, presents one of the greatest challenges to achieving a sustainable social-ecological future. Coastal marine ecosystems are essential for social-ecological resilience, providing vital services such as biodiversity enhancement, clean water, increased fish stocks and coastal protection. Despite increasing efforts, the socio-economic impacts of conservation and restoration initiatives and the integration of adaptive strategies informed by up-to-date, evidence-based practices remain under-explored in the context of coastal ecosystems. This thesis adopts a multidisciplinary approach to examine the social, economic, and ecological impacts of marine restoration, with a particular focus on the value of conservation volunteering, the cost-effectiveness of restoration designs, and the resilience of marine species under climate change. The first data chapter explores reef design strategies to optimise habitat restoration costs, focusing on enhancing oyster recruitment to provide ecosystem services such as water filtration. This assessment was based on a large-scale oyster reef restoration and revealed a financial balance between costs of increasing spatial extent and ecological outcomes (i.e., water filtration), recognising that reef design needs to be tailored to specific restoration goals. The second data chapter investigates the well-being benefits of restoration and conservation volunteering. A survey of 210 participants demonstrated that environmental volunteering improves emotional, social, and psychological well-being, while also acting as a therapeutic buffer against ecological grief and anxiety. The third data chapter evaluates the socio-economic value, individual commitment, and perceived benefits associated with conservation volunteering and recreational fishing, another popular coastal recreation. Using a survey of South Australian coastal residents and the Travel Cost Method, the study found that volunteers were more willing to continue participation despite rising costs, while fishers were more sensitive to travel expenses. The findings highlight how volunteers and fishers contribute in different but complementary ways to coastal communities and ecosystem health. The final data chapter investigates the effects of ocean acidification on sea urchin populations, an influential species in the success of marine restoration efforts. Using field observations from a natural ocean acidification analogue, the study revealed ecological interactions that can mitigate population declines, underscoring the need to incorporate species interactions into predictive models for more robust, future-ready restoration strategies. This thesis demonstrates that integrating ecological, social, and economic dimensions is crucial for ensuring the long-term success of marine restoration and conservation initiatives in the face of a changing climate. Future restoration should be guided by integrated frameworks that combine ecological, economic, and social priorities to enhance resilience and effectiveness. Embedding adaptive planning, optimised project design, and active community involvement will be essential to develop restoration strategies that are scalable, inclusive, and durable under ongoing environmental change.

Author dc:creator

• Pichler, Erin L.

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Connell, Sean
• McAfee, Dominic
• Nagelkerken, Ivan

• Coastal ecosystems
• marine restoration
• oyster restoration
• climate change
• conservation volunteering
• well-being benefits
• travel cost method

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/2440/145481

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digital.library.adelaide.edu.au:2440/145481