Marine habitats ecosystem service potential: A vulnerability approach in the Normand-Breton (Saint Malo) Gulf, France

In this paper is assessed the vulnerability of the benthic habitats potential to deliver ES caused by physical, chemical and biological pressures identified by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) in the Normand-Breton (Saint Malo) Gulf (GNB), in France. The InVEST Habitat Risk Assessment (HRA) model provides useful information for identifying the regions on the seascape where the impacts of human activities are the highest. Additionally, and because the HRA does not address any ES in particular but the whole set of services offered by marine and coastal ecosystems, we analyze the habitats potential to deliver different types of ES (provisioning, regulating and maintenance, and cultural) using habitats vulnerability as a proxy. Concept-driven scenarios are presented to enable the understanding of existing trade-offs as a consequence of different management options. Results provide relevant ES-based information for managers to communicate with stakeholders and prioritize actions for risk mitigation.