The Cost of Mediterranean Sea Warming and Acidification: A Choice Experiment Among Scuba Divers at Medes Islands, Spain

Abstract

A choice experiment is undertaken to elicit preferences of scuba divers in the Marine Protected Area of Medes Islands (Spain). This is the first non-market valuation study of a typical Mediterranean habitat, the Coralligenous, which is characterized by high biodiversity, geomorphologic complexity and iconic species like gorgonians. This habitat is not only very attractive for scuba diving, but is also threatened by climate change and ocean acidification, which is our motivation for undertaking this valuation study. Choice attributes include the number of divers on a diving trip, underwater landscape, presence of jellyfish species, expected state of gorgonians, and price of a dive. Results of multinomial and random parameter logit models indicate a decrease in the attractiveness of Coralligenous areas for scuba diving as a result of both environmental pressures. Estimates of welfare values show that the local extinction of gorgonians had the highest negative effect on utility equivalent to a cost of e60 per dive, followed by abundance of stinging jellyfish with a cost of e26 per dive. Choice probabilities for the selection of different dive experiences indicate the highest rejection rates for the combined sea warming and acidification scenarios.

Coastal and Marine Quality and Tourists’ Stated Intention to Return to Barbados

“…For example, losses in coral reef quality can have an array of impacts due to their prominent role in creating and protecting beaches, protecting coastal infrastructure, and providing aesthetic value for divers and snorkelers. attribute to clean and wide beaches, healthy reefs, diverse fish populations and encounters with species such as sea turtles [21][22][23], with similar results found outside the region [24][25][26].…”

Diving for science ‐ science for diving: volunteer scuba divers support science and conservation in the Mediterranean Sea

“…Divers accessing MPAs may provide feedback on the appeal of the area (e.g. through their preferences, satisfaction and/or economic indicators: Giglio et al , ; Oliveira et al , ; Rees et al , ; Rodrigues et al , ), but also on the effectiveness of the implemented conservation measures, for example by reporting on the abundance of easily identifiable protected species. On the other hand, operators are ‘the people in the field’ and usually have a medium‐ or long‐term memory of their local environment, which makes them both important witnesses and ideal early‐warners of changes or anomalies.…”

Heterogeneous Attitudes of Tourists toward Lionfish in the Mexican Caribbean: Implications for Invasive Species Management

“…Some reef stressors can, however, skew diver and snorkeler perception of coral reef health, which usually matches remarkably well ecological measures of integrity (Uyarra et al, 2005;Dinsdale, 2009;Gill et al, 2015;Haas et al, 2015;Rodrigues et al, 2015). This is the case of invasive species, which can change local species composition, alter ecosystem processes, and negatively affect ecosystem services (Andersen et al, 2004;Blackburn et al, 2011).…”

“…This change can adversely impact non-extractive ecotourism activities, such as recreational snorkeling and diving, which depend on the "beauty" of coral reefs (Cesar et al, 2003;Charles and Dukes, 2007;Pejchar and Mooney, 2009), particularly in small-island states where tourism can generate up to 50% of gross domestic product (European Commission, 2002;Cesar et al, 2003). Environmental valuation methods have been used to assess the esthetic value of coral reefs and the socioeconomic impact of stressors on these systems (White et al, 2000;Brander et al, 2007;Rodrigues et al, 2015). Calculating tourist willingness-to-pay (WTP) for conservation management interventions on reefs is a common technique with which tourists are directly asked how much they would be willing to pay for a good (e.g., seeing a sea turtle on a dive; Depondt and Green, 2006;Casey et al, 2010;Emang et al, 2016).…”