Ecosystem Services Valuation of the Cross River Estuary: Implications for Coastal Development Planning

The economic valuation of ecosystem services provided by estuaries and coastal wetlands provides a critical evidence base for reconciling development priorities with environmental sustainability. This study assessed the economic value of selected ecosystem services provided by the Cross River Estuary in Cross River State, South South Nigeria. Services evaluated included provisioning services (capture fisheries, fuelwood, and medicinal plants), regulating services (coastal flood attenuation, carbon storage, and water purification), and cultural services (recreation, tourism, and spiritual values). Primary data on fishery yields, timber extraction, and ecosystem service usage were collected through household surveys of 200 coastal community members. Market price, replacement cost, and contingent valuation methods were applied for different service categories. Total annual ecosystem service value was estimated at approximately 4.8 billion naira per year across all service categories. Fisheries provisioning was the single highest-valued service at 1.9 billion naira annually. Coastal flood attenuation, valued through replacement cost of equivalent engineered flood defences, contributed 1.4 billion naira per year. Carbon stock value based on voluntary carbon market rates added approximately 680 million naira. Respondents' willingness to pay for improved estuary conservation was low, reflecting financial constraints rather than indifference. The total services value substantially exceeded the estimated short-term economic gain from the proposed industrial port expansion at the study site. The study recommends that ecosystem service valuations be made mandatory components of environmental impact assessments for coastal infrastructure projects. Keywords: ecosystem services valuation, Cross River Estuary, coastal wetlands, economic valuation, development planning.