Ecosystem services such as water purification, coastal protection, and food production are increasingly important considerations for coastal managers as they design management interventions to protect coastal habitat. A collaborative project led by the Rookery Bay and North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserves and Duke University's National Ecosystem Services Partnership created resources to help coastal managers streamline the integration of ecosystem services into their programs. These include guidance to develop Ecosystem Services Conceptual Models for estuarine habitat types, generalized Ecosystem Services Conceptual Models for oyster and mangrove habitat, tools to identify socio-economic metrics to monitor, assess and value coastal ecosystems, middle school lessons, public outreach materials, case studies in North Carolina, Florida and Hawaii, and an online ecosystem services toolkit for coastal managers.

About this resource

This case study discusses an example of an Ecosystem Services Conceptual Model for oyster reef restoration at National Estuarine Research Reserve sites in North Carolina. The model was used to assess research gaps and inform ecosystem service metric selection. The model (and associated metrics) could likely be used by coastal managers at other sites as a template to consider ecosystem services effects of oyster reef restoration.