Chapter 7
Human Utility of Marine Ecosystem
Services and Behavioral Intentions
for Marine Conservation: Implications
for Urban–Rural Partnership
Nobuyuki Yagi and Kazumi Wakita
7.1 Background
Fish and fishery products constitute a valuable source of protein in many countries.
In 2017, 3.3 billion people relied on fish for over 20% of their animal protein. On a
global level, fish comprises 17% of the population’s intake of animal protein, with
the most substantial increases in annual per capita fish consumption occurring in
East Asia (FAO 2020). FAO also indicates that the proportion of overexploited
fishery resources has been continuously increasing since the 1970s. Various international efforts have been made to conserve and manage fishery resources on a
global scale. For instance, regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs)
provide international rules on catch quotas and closed seasons/areas for certain
fishery species for their member countries. Most of these efforts, however, focus
on controlling fishing activities with less attention being paid to maintaining ecosystem services. RFMOs’ discussions are usually focused upon the populations of
fishery target species, and less attention was paid for nonfishing threats such as
marine pollutions, climate change, or coastal developments.
Ecosystem services include both products obtained from ecosystems (such as
fish) and other benefits such as primary production and nutrient cycling as discussed
in detail in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA). Maintaining healthy
material cycles in the ocean is of crucial importance.
N. Yagi (*)
Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
e-mail: yagi@g.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp
K. Wakita
School of Marine Science and Technology, Tokai University, Shizuoka, Japan
© Springer Japan KK, part of Springer Nature 2021
S. Muramatsu et al. (eds.), Living in the Megacity: Towards Sustainable Urban
Environments, Global Environmental Studies,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-56901-5_7
127
Human Utility of Marine Ecosystem
Services and Behavioral Intentions
for Marine Conservation: Implications
for Urban–Rural Partnership
Nobuyuki Yagi and Kazumi Wakita
7.1 Background
Fish and fishery products constitute a valuable source of protein in many countries.
In 2017, 3.3 billion people relied on fish for over 20% of their animal protein. On a
global level, fish comprises 17% of the population’s intake of animal protein, with
the most substantial increases in annual per capita fish consumption occurring in
East Asia (FAO 2020). FAO also indicates that the proportion of overexploited
fishery resources has been continuously increasing since the 1970s. Various international efforts have been made to conserve and manage fishery resources on a
global scale. For instance, regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs)
provide international rules on catch quotas and closed seasons/areas for certain
fishery species for their member countries. Most of these efforts, however, focus
on controlling fishing activities with less attention being paid to maintaining ecosystem services. RFMOs’ discussions are usually focused upon the populations of
fishery target species, and less attention was paid for nonfishing threats such as
marine pollutions, climate change, or coastal developments.
Ecosystem services include both products obtained from ecosystems (such as
fish) and other benefits such as primary production and nutrient cycling as discussed
in detail in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA). Maintaining healthy
material cycles in the ocean is of crucial importance.
N. Yagi (*)
Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
e-mail: yagi@g.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp
K. Wakita
School of Marine Science and Technology, Tokai University, Shizuoka, Japan
© Springer Japan KK, part of Springer Nature 2021
S. Muramatsu et al. (eds.), Living in the Megacity: Towards Sustainable Urban
Environments, Global Environmental Studies,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-56901-5_7
127