Plan Bleu addressed this question as part of its assessments in order to come to more informed sustainable development policy decisions. These assessments cover various geographic levels (from local to regional) and different environments, such as marine, coastal and forest ecosystems.
In recent years, Plan Bleu has carried out studies on the socioeconomic impact of Marine Protected Areas and on the socio-economic assessment of the goods and services provided by forest ecosystems. Moreover, a study is currently being conducted on the economic assessment of services provided by wetlands in terms of adaptation to climate change. Based on these studies and on its expertise, Plan Bleu has developed an analyses on the interests and limitations of these socio-economic assessments on sustainable development in the Mediterranean region. This analysis focuses on strengths and weaknesses in communicating with decision-makers, and on the concrete ways to use these socio-economic assessments.