Oyster reef conservation could unlock $12 trillion annually in untapped ‘ecopotential’

(CN) — Within the last hundred years, human-caused pollution, overharvesting and climate change have resulted in over 80% of the world’s oyster reefs being degraded or destroyed.

Also known as oyster beds or oyster banks, these large colonies of amassed mollusks formed on rocks or other hard surfaces attract fish, birds, crustaceans and marine flora — much like coral reefs.

But authors of a study published Tuesday in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science believe that humans, not just sea critters, stand to gain highly from oyster reef restoration.

Investing in oyster banks could provide trillion-dollar payoffs towards both the global seafood industry and scientific efforts to counteract the planet’s warming climate, researchers say.

Based in Shenzhen, China, scientists Matteo Convertino and Yuhan Wu used public databases to conduct research on where oyster reefs are currently located, and to determine where they could form under the right restorative circumstances.

From there, the researchers estimated ecological values of oyster reef presence, like water filtration and shoreline stabilization, alongside pure monetary value added to the international oyster trade. They quantified the combined output as “Gross Ecosystem Product” — GEP, or what they call “ecopotential” — without costs of prerequisite restoration factored in.

Nitrogen removal, carbon capture and water purification make oyster banks, hypothetically, big earners and frontline fighters against climate change. Looking at the United States, Wu and Convertino projected an annual GEP of over $25 billion from fully restored reefs.

They identified nine other “hotspot countries” with areas of high ecopotential for oyster reefs: China, Australia, Chile, Japan, South Korea, Argentina, France, Germany and Italy.

Altogether, restored oyster reefs could have a $12 trillion yearly ecopotential, the scientists found. Reefs are currently only found in 10% of the roughly 114,000 square miles worldwide that Wu and Convertino deemed as “suitable” habitat.

“Because global warming generally decreases the habitat quality of oyster reefs, we expect that their global GEP will go down from the current potential value of $12 trillion,” Convertino said in a statement. “But some countries may see an expansion of reefs due to more favorable conditions for the growth and dispersal of oysters: in particular this could happen in Australia, Indonesia, South Korea, Japan and France.”

Convertino added that 90% of sites suitable for oyster reefs would require full restoration efforts, with 80% requiring active protection and conservation in order to grow.

“In other words, the current oyster situation is very suboptimal but there is a huge opportunity, considering the benefits,” he said.

The importance of integrated environmentalism underlines Wu and Convertino’s findings: “Local restoration cannot succeed in isolation.”

Their definition of “effective conservation and restoration solutions” mandates pollution management, “education to reduce human pressures,” and close oversight of nearby riparian and estuarine areas to help oyster reefs realize their full ecopotential.

Calling himself “quite pessimistic,” Convertino told Courthouse News that if Earth’s current climate trajectory doesn’t improve, the planet will lose roughly 30% of its remaining oyster reefs within a decade. “This situation might accelerate quite fast… we could lose all oyster reefs by 2100 if we do nothing,” he said.