Artificial reefs and marine protected areas: a study in willingness to pay to access Folkestone Marine Reserve, Barbados, West Indies
| Autor: | Magnus L. Johnson, Philip Wheeler, Anne E. Kirkbride-Smith |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Artificial reefs Conservation Biology lcsh:Medicine Marine life Marine Biology 01 natural sciences General Biochemistry Genetics and Molecular Biology Willingness to pay 0502 economics and business Contingent valuation Reef geography geography.geographical_feature_category business.industry 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology General Neuroscience lcsh:R 05 social sciences Environmental resource management Marine reserve Coral reef conservation General Medicine Coral reef Consumer surplus Marine protected area Artificial reef General Agricultural and Biological Sciences business 050212 sport leisure & tourism |
| Zdroj: | PeerJ PeerJ, Vol 4, p e2175 (2016) |
| ISSN: | 2167-8359 |
| Popis: | Artificial reefs in marine protected areas provide additional habitat for biodiversity viewing, and therefore may offer an innovative management solution for managing for coral reef recovery and resilience. Marine park user fees can generate revenue to help manage and maintain natural and artificial reefs. Using a stated preference survey, this study investigates the present consumer surplus associated with visitor use of a marine protected area in Barbados. Two hypothetical markets were presented to differentiate between respondents use values of either: (a) natural reefs within the marine reserve or (b) artificial reef habitat for recreational enhancement. Information was also collected on visitors’ perceptions of artificial reefs, reef material preferences and reef conservation awareness. From a sample of 250 visitors on snorkel trips, we estimate a mean willingness to pay of US$18.33 (median—US$15) for natural reef use and a mean value of US$17.58 (median—US$12.50) for artificial reef use. The number of marine species viewed, age of respondent, familiarity with the Folkestone Marine Reserve and level of environmental concern were statistically significant in influencing willingness to pay. Regression analyses indicate visitors are willing to pay a significant amount to view marine life, especially turtles. Our results suggest that user fees could provide a considerable source of income to aid reef conservation in Barbados. In addition, the substantial use value reported for artificial reefs indicates a reef substitution policy may be supported by visitors to the Folkestone Marine Reserve. We discuss our findings and highlight directions for future research that include the need to collect data to establish visitors’ non-use values to fund reef management. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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