Ecosystem service assessments are a top priority at many reserves in the National Estuarine Research Reserve System.

Through a 2020 catalyst project, the Heʻeia and Kachemak Bay Reserves worked to advance the equitable representation of cultural ecosystem services in estuary stewardship by providing practical information and opportunities for facilitated exchange.

Cultural ecosystem services (CES), one of four main categories of ecosystem services, are often described as the non-material benefits that humans receive from their interactions with the environment.

Seventeen projects involving 27 reserves across the nation and totaling more than $2 million have been recommended for support by NOAA’s National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) Science Collaborative.

The Habitat Heartbeats project is developing a monitoring system to integrate living organisms such as oysters and mussels ("biosentinels”) with existing monitoring efforts.

The Habitat Heartbeats project was featured during the 2023 virtual symposium showcasing recent scientific studies related to the restoration and health of San Diego estuaries including the Tijuana River Estuary, San Diego Bay, and Los Peñasquitos Lagoon.

This white paper, developed by a 2020 catalyst project, provides an overview of expanding and deepening the application of cultural ecosystem services in the National Estuarine Reserve System.

This report summarizes five cultural ecosystem service assessment methods piloted by the 2020 catalyst project, Cultural Ecosystem Services in Estuary Stewardship and Management.