This guidebook presents a flexible framework for evaluating whether coastal restoration and nature-based solutions are rebuilding ecosystem condition and functions that can sustain long-term benefits. It links monitoring indicators to ecosystem services for three Chesapeake Bay ecosystems (submerged aquatic vegetation, oyster reefs, and coastal saltmarshes) and shows how monitoring evidence can inform natural capital accounting, planning, and investment decisions. The framework is intended as decision-support guidance, allowing users to select measures suited to their project goals and resources.

Suggested Citation:

Costadone, L., R. Hassan, and J. Fucci. 2026. From Monitoring to Accounting: Integrating Coastal Nature-based Solutions Monitoring into Natural Capital and Cost-Benefit Frameworks. STAC Publication Number 26-008, Chesapeake Bay Program Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC), Edgewater, MD. 48 pp.