ICZM and WTP of Stakeholders for Beach Conservation: Policymaking Suggestions from an Italian Case Study

Abstract

In accordance with integrated coastal zone management (ICZM), private stakeholders could be asked to pay for the benefits from beach conservation projects. Since a private contribution is measured by the amount of other goods a person is willing to give up for beach quality, it can be solicited in monetary terms or, when possible, in other forms, such as specific works. In this paper, by analysing the results of two surveys in Italy concerning stakeholders' perceptions of ICZM and their willingness to pay for these benefits, suggestions for beach management are provided to policymakers. One survey focuses on beach visitors who are asked to pay in monetary terms, while the other focuses on sunbathing establishment managers, who are asked to pay not only in monetary terms but also through beach works. The results show that the majority of these stakeholders are fully or partially aware of what ICZM is, and are unwilling to pay. However, regression analysis of those willing to pay suggests that promoting an information and education campaign about ICZM may be important if stakeholders' probability of paying is to be increased.Keywords: integrated coastal zone management; contingent valuation method; visitors; sunbathing establishment managers; beach conservationThe authors are most grateful to the referees for their helpful comments and suggestions. EU support through research project INTERREG IIIC, BEACHMED-e, 2006BEACHMED-e, -2008, sub-project ICZM-MED, is gratefully acknowledged. We thank Ing. Carlo Albertazzi and Dott. Roberto Montanari of the Assessorato Sicurezza Territoriale, Difesa del Suolo e della Costa, Protezione Civile of the EmiliaRomagna Regional Council for the materials provided about the regional ICZM and, in particular, for Figures 1 and 2 (by Ing. Mentino Preti). We are indebted to Barbara Zanuttigh for her collaboration in creating Figure 3. The survey instruments and further data description are available on request.

Visitors' awareness of ICZM and WTP for beach preservation in four European Mediterranean regions

“…Regression results show that income does not determine visitors' WTP. This is considered an exception for the economic theory, and confirms the results of other case studies on the evaluation of public goods about which economic variables do not always affect visitors' WTP for coastal preservation (Marzetti and Disegna, 2012; [26]. Among the variables affecting WTP, knowing ICZM is significant, thus showing that those who are fully informed about what ICZM is have a higher probability of paying for beach preservation.…”

“…The complete aggregate model is presented in Appendix, Table A1. The coefficient of Knowing ICZM is significant and positive, showing that the more visitors know about ICZM, the higher their probability of paying, and thus confirming the result obtained by Marzetti and Disegna [26]. The coefficient of Greek beach is also significant and positive, therefore beach visitors in East Macedonia and Thrace seem to have a higher probability of paying than visitors in the other three regions.…”

“…Descriptive statistics about the data obtained through this EU research have mainly been published in [21]. All the results (descriptive statistics and regression analysis) about the Emilia-Romagna region have been published in [26]. This paper completes the analysis of the data of the other BEACHMED-e regions (Macedonia and Thrace, Lazio, Liguria and the Languedoc-Roussillon) by applying regression analysis.…”

“…As regards the Italian case-study of Riccione and Misano Adriatico (BEACHMED-e research), Marzetti and Disegna [26] specifically analyze respondents' knowledge of ICZM and consider it a determinant of the WTP for beach preservation. Through a survey by questionnaire they estimated how much beach visitors would be willing to pay for a five-year defence project.…”

An attempt to assess horizontal and vertical integration of the Italian coastal governance at national and regional scales

“…In the literature, there are not many papers issuing this topic while the recent literature on Italian ICZM is more oriented to the formulation of decision support systems rather than analysing institutional processes (Pirrone et al, 2005;Zanuttigh et al, 2005;Marotta et al, 2011;Giordano et al, 2013). Some studies focused on the integration of several tools to support public administrations in limiting land use conflicts such as GIS, Emergy Analysis and Cost Benefit Analysis, mainly applied to coastal erosion and beach nourishment (Koutrakis et al, 2008;Koutrakis et al, 2010;Koutrakis et al, 2011;Martino & Amos, 2015;Marzetti et al, 2016). Looking at the institutional aspects, Portman et al (2012) assessed the performance in eight countries (Belgium, India, Israel, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, UK, and Vietnam), of five ICZM mechanisms (environmental impact assessment; planning hierarchy; setback lines; marine spatial planning, and regulatory commission) and their role in achieving integration.…”