5.4.6 Golfe Normand-Breton: Links between the Ecosystem Services Assessment and the scenarios

In the Golfe Normand-Breton the Ecosystem Services Assessment has been led entirely by the scientific team of the project, providing a range of very advanced methodologies to provide an initial diagnosis of the situation.

In this context, the scenario exercise was very important so as to include and engage local stakeholders in our examination of ecosystem services and to create a common culture around those new concepts.

The marine park has not been created yet so there is no collective management process. Therefore it was not possible to use and share this new knowledge with stakeholders in the context of decisions on specific management issues.

Participatory scenarios will provide four contrasting visions of the future (ecological and economical/governance state). The work developed within the Ecosystem Services Assessment helped to describe qualitatively the ecological consequences of each future on functionalities and ecosystem services. By helping to characterize the current situation (relative importance of economic activities), the Ecosystem Services Assessment helped to illustrate the consequences of degradation of ecosystem services on those activities.