| dc.description.abstract | Marine and coastal ecosystems in the North Sea provide essential ecosystem services, supporting
habitat provision, erosion control, and food production for local species, while also delivering
economic value to humans. However, these ecosystems are continuously disrupted by various
human activities, including energy harvesting, fishing, and coastal development. As a result,
restoration efforts and investments in research and protection have gained significance. To
effectively monitor changes in ecosystem health and evaluate the effectiveness of conservation
efforts, the identification of relevant indicators is crucial. This literature review aims to gather the
most pertinent indicators for marine ecosystem services, with a specific focus on the coastal
ecosystems of the Dutch North Sea. The selected key factors for analysis include Shellfish and Oyster
beds, Seagrass beds, Biodiversity and species richness, Food web integrity, Carbon sequestration,
Erosion control and natural hazard protection, and Waste breakdown and detoxification. Recent
literature was reviewed to identify relevant indicators, which were subsequently categorized into
Wildlife (Biological indicators), Sea water, Sediment, Carbon cycle, geographical, social, and
economic indicators. This compilation of indicators will assist stakeholders and researchers in
establishing specific monitoring parameters to assess ecosystem health effectively | |
