A systematic review of the diverse values of Seagrass Contributions to People (SCP) in Indonesia: A pilot study

Seagrass ecosystems in Indonesia provide a diverse array of services and societal benefits that helps to mitigate the impacts of climate change, yet they face complex threats and ongoing declines. Assessing their diverse values through pluralistic lenses can provide important baseline information to guide future conservation and restoration policies. Utilising the Seagrass Ecosystem Contributions to People (SCP) framework, a systematic review was conducted in representative seagrass ecosystem regions—west (Bintan), central (Selayar), and east (Ternate)—to examine the current state of research on their diverse values. Specifically, we identified the presence, perceived worldviews, characteristics, specific values, and their overlaps of SCP categories.

Publications were retrieved from Scopus, Web of Science, and the first ten pages of Google Scholar between February and April 2025. Then, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 Guideline, a thorough literature analysis was conducted using six established inclusion criteria. Present SCPs, perceived worldviews, specific values, and their overlaps were assessed in accordance with core meanings derived from McKenzie and Colleagues, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) report on the diverse values of nature, and Himes and Colleagues’ publication, respectively.

Overall, 54 publications were included in this review, spanning the years 1989 to 2025 and identifying 25 SCPs across three regions, with a decreasing number of studies for each SCP from west to east. There were imbalances in the SCP perception, with bioindicator and scientific research being perceived in all regions and having twice the number of publications compared to other SCPs. These two prevalent SCPs generally studied the ecological status of seagrasses, their associated biota, and experimental results on their monitoring methods (e.g. remote sensing).  

Biocentric and anthropocentric worldviews were researched more and dominated interchangeably between SCPs, focusing on seagrass conservation values and societal perceptions of its services. Meanwhile, the pluricentric worldview had singular studies limited to several Material and Nonmaterial SCPs. Excluding the east region, all three specific values (intrinsic, instrumental, and relational) were present, with instrumental as the most frequent overlapping value. These value overlaps demonstrated fuzzy boundaries between material and nonmaterial groups, but not with the regulating SCPs, which were all studied with a singular specific value.

Regional differences in seagrass ecosystem management, benefit utilizations, and research focus might reflect the variability of the perceived SCPs, worldviews, and value overlaps. Although these perceptions are still biased towards tangible benefits for human ends. However, most of the reviewed publications were short-term studies and distinct from each other, demonstrating the need for local experts’ knowledge elicitation to further weave the information. Our study further developed the SCP framework by incorporating the concept of nature’s diverse values, which is highly relevant and applicable to the seagrass socio-ecological setting and management initiatives in Indonesia.