Puget Sound Partnership

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Ecosystem Services

Ecosystems are Earth’s living natural capital. If well managed, ecosystems in the Puget Sound region produce valued services such as:

  • Food and fiber – salmon, Dungeness crab, dairy and berries, timber
  • Water – drinking water, hydroelectric power, ferry transport routes
  • Natural regulation – natural flood and storm protection, water purification from wetlands, shoreline stabilization
  • Cultural and ethical values – places to go hiking, kayaking and wildlife watching ethical, spiritual and cultural relationships derived from a myriad of species, habitats and special places

The Nature Conservancy (TNC), NOAA Fisheries’ Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NOAA) and the World Resources Institute (WRI) are working together to map, model and value these and other services throughout Puget Sound. The project is funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and modeled after The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment.

The project will help answer questions about what we value most about Puget Sound and thus where to target our priority efforts. A WRI report identifying important ecosystem goods & services in Puget Sound is included below.


Ecosystem Services Analysis – Report