Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary: Summary of Ecosystem Services

The various ecosystem service evaluations presented in this report are summarized below. Each ecosystem service is listed, followed by:

1. A set of rating symbols that display key information. The first symbol includes a color and term to indicate status, the next symbol indicates trend, and a shaded scale adjacent to both symbols indicates confidence (see key for example and definitions).
2. The status description, which is a statement that best characterizes status and corresponds to the assigned color rating and definition as described in Appendix B.
3. The rationale, which is a short statement or list of criteria used to justify the rating.

Key:

Cultural Services (Non-Material Benefits)

Science—The capacity to acquire and contribute information and knowledge

Status Description: The capacity to provide the ecosystem service is compromised, but performance is acceptable.

Rationale: GRNMS has supported scientific activities throughout the study period and is a valued site for scientific research in the South Atlantic region. Research activity, publications, and public support for research remained consistent throughout the study period; however, some limitations on vessel availability may have affected the overall capacity for science during the study period. ¹

Education — The capacity to acquire and provide intellectual enrichment

Status Description: The capacity to provide the ecosystem service is compromised, and existing management would require enhancement to enable acceptable performance.

Rationale: Staffing limitations hindered the ability of GRNMS to provide some education programming and community events during the study period; however, external partnerships and volunteers aided in filling this gap. Virtual engagement via the GRNMS website and social media generally remained stable, and a website redesign in early 2023 increased site traffic. Exhibits at partner institutions provided key opportunities to learn about the sanctuary, and interactive kiosks helped increase engagement. The dedication of the Gray’s Reef Ocean Discovery Center in 2022 was an important step toward increasing site capacity for education and outreach.

Heritage — Recognition of historical and heritage legacy and cultural practices

Status Description: The capacity to provide the ecosystem service is compromised, but performance is acceptable.

Rationale: Recent research has improved the understanding of past human connections and demonstrated that the region that is now GRNMS was used by prehistoric cultures. In recent history, GRNMS has developed a legacy as an important site for scientific research. Coastal Georgia and GRNMS have strong heritage connections to fishing, documented in recent years through development of extensive oral history archives. Gullah/Geechee cultural ties to fishing, ocean use, and scientific discoveries at GRNMS have also been documented through oral histories. While knowledge and understanding of heritage connections to GRNMS and surrounding waters have increased, more information is needed, particularly to understand the connections between the sanctuary and Indigenous peoples, both in the past and today.

Sense of place — Aesthetic attraction, spiritual significance, and location identity

Status Description: The capacity to provide the ecosystem service is compromised, and existing management would require enhancement to enable acceptable performance.

Rationale: For people who are aware of and appreciate Gray’s Reef, the sanctuary’s aesthetic attraction, significance, and location identity remain strong. Proxy measures such as recreational fishing activity, popularity of iconic marine species, and interest in scuba diving reflected this value. Although awareness of the sanctuary improved during the study period, lack of awareness among most people remained a problem. Appreciation of Gray’s Reef predates GRNMS, but efforts to measure the sense of place ecosystem service are new. Ocean user surveys have not previously targeted sense of place values, so more complete and direct data for understanding this service is needed.

Consumptive recreation — Recreational activities that result in the removal of or harm to natural or cultural resources

Status Description: The capacity to provide the ecosystem service is compromised, but performance is acceptable.

Rationale: Surveys of fishing permit holders, observations of vessels, vessel registration data, and recreational landings data indicate that waters off the coast of Georgia, including GRNMS, continue to provide opportunities for recreational fishing. However, many available data sets were not specific to the sanctuary. Experts noted that while some key species remain plentiful in the sanctuary, the ability to harvest others has declined due to new federal regulations. The available evidence, though limited for GRNMS specifically, does not suggest significant changes in use of the sanctuary for consumptive recreation.

Non-consumptive recreation — Recreational activities that do not result in intentional removal of or harm to natural or cultural resources

Status Description: The capacity to provide the ecosystem service is compromised, but performance is acceptable.

Rationale: Opportunities for non-consumptive recreation, specifically boating and scuba diving, are available in GRNMS. However, some opportunities are limited by a lack of infrastructure (i.e., mooring buoys for diving), the sanctuary’s distance from shore, and economic factors (e.g., cost to get to the sanctuary). Although data were limited, vessel presence and transits, as well as awareness of and demand for diving in the sanctuary have increased.

² Due to time constraints, status and trend ratings and associated confidence scores for this question were not determined during the expert workshop. They were determined later by GRNMS staff who reevaluated the indicators, data sets, and expert input provided during the workshop.

¹ Due to time constraints, a trend rating and associated confidence score for this question were not determined during the expert workshop. This trend rating and associated confidence score were determined later by GRNMS staff who reevaluated the indicators, data sets, and expert input provided during the workshop.