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.

Gated storm surge barriers have been constructed or proposed in many estuaries worldwide for coastal flood risk reduction.

Rising coastal flood risk and recent disasters are driving interest in the construction of gated storm surge barriers worldwide, with current studies recommending barriers for at least 11 estuaries in the United States alone.

The National Estuarine Research Reserve System plays an important socio-ecological role for public engagement, science and management focused on key estuarine habitats.

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.

A peer-reviewed article describing several of the biosensor tools and the design process used to build them, as part of the 2021 Collaborative Research project incorporating bivalve biosensors into estuary monitoring infrastructure.