Analysis of the economic benefits associated with the recovery of threatened marine mammal species in the Canadian St. Lawrence Estuary

This paper examines Canadians' willingness to pay to recover the populations of three marine mammal species found in the St Lawrence Estuary. The valuation approach utilized a stated preference tool that is somewhat a hybrid between contingent valuation and a choice experiment with multiple species recovery program options and choices framed as referenda. Program options involved the use of a marine protected area and restrictions on whale watching and shipping industries. The estimated willingness to pay (WTP) for different levels of marine mammal recovery ranged from $77 to $229 per year per household and varied according to the species affected and the recovery program effort. A series of tests revealed that people would be willing to pay more for programs that contribute to greater increases in marine mammal populations, but the additional value of programs that improve a species status beyond the “at risk” threshold is relatively small.     

Contingent valuation analysis of willingness to pay for beach erosion control through the stabiplage technique: A study in Djerba (Tunisia)

Beach erosion can have major economic implications because of the potential impact on coastal recreation demand – particularly for countries where coastal tourism is one of the main sources of external revenue. Djerba Island (Tunisia) falls in that category. With about 125 km of coastline, Djerba Island is one of the most important Tunisian destinations. However, the island is experiencing coastal erosion problems. The Tunisia government launched a project to fight costal erosion through the Stabiplage technique. This study provides the first economic valuation of beach erosion control in Tunisia and is the first one that focuses on the Stabiplage technique. Specifically, a contingent valuation survey is carried out to elicit the public willingness to pay (WTP) for the project. An interval payment card question format is used to obtain information about WTP from representative samples of residents and tourists in Djerba. The results reveal a positive WTP for the project. Aggregate WTP estimates range from €133,459 (median value) to €5,180,269 (mean value). These values can help inform decisions about whether to undertake the project based on either the benefit-cost ratio rule or majority voting rule.     

Willingness to pay for marine-based tourism in the Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve,Mozambique

Marine and coastal ecosystems face widespread degradation largely because market failure hides the economic value of the goods and services they provide. Marine protected areas (MPAs) can serve as structures that ensure the continued functioning of marine and coastal ecosystem goods and services. Yet, to be effective and sustainable, MPAs must be able to prove their economic worth and generate revenue. User-fee systems are used commonly to partially finance multi-use MPAs. This study applies contingent valuation as a method of economic valuation within an MPA in southern Mozambique. Using a payment card and questionnaire from November 2012 to April 2013, this study determined the willingness to pay (WTP) of three user groups for access to the Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve. The study also investigated the potential for the reserve to increase revenues for conservation through the implementation of a user fee for marine-based activities. Probit and ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions were used to determine the effects of various independent variables on WTP. The OLS model found income, African residency and environmental awareness to be significant factors that influenced visitors' WTP for access to the reserve. The mean WTP was R 43.75 (South African rands) per person per day. Using data supplied by the reserve management, conservative estimated annual revenues based on the implementation of this fee amount ranged between R 1.46 million and R 3.3 million.     

Valuing recreational and conservation benefits of coral reefs—The case of Bolinao,Philippines

The recognition of recreational and conservation benefits of coral reefs globally provides a sound economic rationale for their management. The value of recreational and conservation benefits of coral reefs along the Lingayen Gulf, Bolinao, Philippines is evaluated using travel cost and contingent valuation methods, respectively. Empirical results generated consumer surplus valued at PhP10,463 (US$223) per person per annum or potential net annual revenues to the local economy worth PhP220.2 million (US$4.7 million) from an estimated 21,042 visitors to Bolinao in 2000. However, willingness to pay (WTP) values (in absolute terms and as a percentage of income) for the conservation of coral reefs at Bolinao that were elicited are low, particularly among domestic tourists. This implies that preservation of natural resources and the environment may not be an immediate priority among local travelers due to socio-economic considerations in developing countries, such as the Philippines and the public goods nature of the recreational services provided by coral reefs. These results have further implications for determining the values of coral reefs to support public investment for their conservation and management. The roles of advocacy, education, and awareness campaigns have been highlighted to create a larger WTP for the management of coral reefs.     

A queing system approach for the design of coast guard vessel traffic services communications

In order to provide for the safe and expeditious passage of maritime traffic in congested waters, the U.S. Coast Guard is authorized by the Ports and Waterways Safety Act of 1972 to establish, operate, and maintain Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) where needed. In larger areas, a VTS will generally require a communications system to enable the vessel traffic center and the participating vessels to exchange information. In designing such a system, it is necessary to assess the expected communications loading in order to determine frequency requirements and evaluate alternative configurations for the system. Here, VTS communications are viewed as a queuing system. The customers (messages) arrive at the service facility (communications channel) according to some probabilistic process, and are then serviced (transmitted) according to some other probabilistic process. Queues or waiting lines form as arriving messages wait to be transmitted, because the communications channels are busy. Three classes of messages are considered in the arrival process: check in/check out (basic VTS) messages; Vessel Movement Reporting System (VMRS) messages; and bridge-to-bridge messages. Each class is characterized by an independent Poisson distribution, and the resultant arrival process is a well-defined nonhomogeneous Poisson process. The service time is characterized by a general distribution with a known mean and variance. The queuing results, which are developed, include the utilization factor, the expected waiting time, and the expected number of messages waiting to be transmitted. The arrival process and the queuing results vary according to the time of the day, reflecting the varying traffic load throughout the day. A detailed example is given for a preliminary analysis of New York Harbor VTS communications.     

Investigating the potential for marine resource protection through environmental service markets: An exploratory study from La Paz,Mexico

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have long been advocated as effective management vehicles for promoting long-term conservation of marine resources and biodiversity. However MPAs are failing in their conservation goals, impeded by insufficient funds and a heavy reliance by low-income populations on natural resources.Investigation into a potential payment for environmental services (PES) program for marine protection was conducted in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Surveys elicited tourists' willingness to pay (WTP) to reduce fishing pressure in Espíritu Santo Marine Park. Interviews with local fishermen investigated necessary levels of compensation in order to cease fishing, by proxy of required salaries in alternative employment outside of the fishing sector.Results indicated that required compensation values outweighed WTP by the tourist sector. Median WTP per trip amounted to US$12.50 and US$30, additional to pre-existing price, for day excursions and longer trips respectively. Median willingness to accept of fishermen was approximately US$135 per week, at time of survey, and required compensation was US$60 per week. Aggregated median WTP was able to cover annual compensation costs for approximately half of the fishing population. That fish stocks were not in collapse, thereby not creating sufficient scarcity and decreasing opportunity costs, and potential high transaction costs were identified as constraints of the proposed PES scheme.However, PES for marine protection should not be dismissed entirely; sites which are less productive and where fishermen's opportunity costs are low will be more suited to such a compensation scheme. Furthermore PES can work alongside existing markets.     

Valuing the recovery of overexploited fish stocks in the context of existence and option values

The current reduction in commercial fish stocks is a problem of global concern. In response to this situation, administrations around the world are attempting to recover critical stocks by implementing new regulations based on catching restrictions and recovery plans. These restrictions have negative effects on local economies, but species recovery also brings important benefits to society in the long term. Given that the recovery of endangered species also results in considerable non-use economic value, this paper employs contingent valuation techniques to measure individual preferences for different recovery levels. We distinguish primarily between existence and option values linked to various levels of the desired stocks and discuss how these values influence willingness to pay (WTP) estimates. Our results show that recovered stocks for hake and Norwegian lobster increase local welfare, and show that the median household WTP is about 17.73€ for a recovery programme regulated by the European Union.     

Developing a co-management financing mechanism to enhance the financial sustainability of marine protected areas in Taiwan

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are a cost-efficient and management-effective tool. Fishery Resource Conservation Zones (FRCZs) are one type of MPA in Taiwan, and they were designated to ensure the sustainability of fishery resources since 1976; however, government appropriations are the only financing source for FRCZs, leading to manpower and equipment shortages for FRCZ management. This study selected the Touching and Suao FRCZs in Yilan County of Taiwan as cases studies. To assess the feasibility of establishing a sustainable financing mechanism for MPAs, the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) was applied to examine respondents׳ willingness to pay (WTP) to setup a fund for FRCZ management. The empirical results indicated that approximately 90% of respondents would be willing to donate funding for MPAs, and the WTP per respondent is NT$586.51 (US$19.6). Thus, establishing an MPA fund is a feasible way to operate Taiwanese MPAs through a co-management framework involving the central government, local government, local communities and stakeholders. However, based on our empirical results, a co-management financing mechanism for MPAs should be established to ensure stable and diverse financing sources.     

The global potential for whale watching

Whaling as a commercial enterprise is now defunct, not least due to the moratorium placed on it by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) almost 20 years ago. However, two distinct groups, one in favor of ‘sustainable’ whaling and one completely opposed to any killing of whales, continue to argue at the IWC and other political arenas. Almost ignored in this debate is the current growth of the whale watching industry, a logical alternative use for whale populations. Based on ecological and socio-economic criteria, the potential for whale watching is estimated for maritime countries that do not currently engage in this industry. Results suggest that whale watching could generate an additional 413 million USD (2009) in yearly revenue, supporting 5,700 jobs. Together with current global estimates, this would bring the total potential for the whale watching industry to over 2.5 billion USD in yearly revenue and about 19,000 jobs around the world. These results are discussed from an economic and conservation policy perspective, with emphasis on potential benefits and limitations.     

Economic benefit of the protection program for the Steller sea lion

This paper examines willingness to pay (WTP) for an endangered species across geographically nested samples using the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM). The three samples range from (1) the boroughs that contain critical habitat for the Steller sea lion to (2) the state that contains these boroughs to and (3) the entire United States. Depending on the assumptions of the model, WTP varies tremendously from sample to sample. WTP for the United States is the highest and it is the lowest for the boroughs. The null hypotheses that mean WTP estimates are greater then zero were rejected for the boroughs and the state but were not rejected for the United States based on the 95% confidence intervals.     

Public willingness to pay for alternative management regimes of remote marine protected areas in the North Sea

Despite increasing attention paid to the value of marine resources, in particular marine protected areas (MPAs), their economic valuation focuses mainly on use values of ecosystem services such as fishery and tourism. Furthermore, most MPA related studies are carried out for coastal ecosystems, especially tropical coral reefs. The valuation of remote marine ecosystems is rare. The main objective of this paper is to estimate public willingness to pay (WTP) for alternative management regimes of a network of offshore MPAs in the North Sea under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). In a baseline valuation study carried out just before the adoption of the MSFD, beach visitors and a random sample of coastal and non-coastal residents were asked for their preferences for two alternative management options of three remote, ecologically sensitive areas with multiple use conflicts. Despite the lack of public awareness and familiarity with the offshore marine areas, a majority of 70% is willing to pay extra tax for their protection. Using a conservative value elicitation procedure, Dutch households are willing to pay on average maximum 0.25% of their annual disposable income to ban access and economic use. This serves as an indicator of what a network of remote MPAs in the MSFD is allowed to cost according to the Dutch tax payer.     

Improving the recreational value of Ireland's coastal resources: A contingent behavioural application

This paper measures willingness to pay (WTP) for public access to additional beach area and trail improvements to a coastal recreational site in the west of Ireland. The Contingent Behaviour model is used to measure the increased number of trips associated with improved public access using a connecting trail between two beach areas along a stretch of Irish coastline. Results show that improving access through the use of the connecting trail increases consumer surplus by €111.15 per person per annum. It is argued that in designing new regulation such as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) for the management of Ireland's coastline, an understanding of the values the Irish public place on coastal recreational access will be important to manage the resource in a sustainable manner.     

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

This paper discusses the results of a multi-country survey about private stakeholders' contribution to coastal preservation. It was conducted in four coastal sites of Greece, Italy and France, in order to collect information about beach visitors' perception of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) and their willingness to pay (WTP) for beach preservation, intended here as defence from erosion. In order to find out whether ICZM perception is a determinant of WTP, regression analysis is applied. Results show that in these sites respondents have a low level of information about the nature of ICZM, despite local authorities having implemented some ICZM strategies for preserving the coast. Nevertheless, those who are informed about ICZM have a higher probability of paying for beach preservation. This suggests to policymakers that promoting public awareness about ICZM may increase the probability of paying. Finally, some categories of visitors, such as women and young and middle-aged people, have a higher probability of paying than men and older people, thus suggesting a more sensitive attitude to beach preservation. Therefore, policy-makers should also pay attention to the categories of visitors less likely to pay.     

Financing marine protected areas in Jamaica: An exploratory study

The establishment of marine protected areas (MPA) has been a common government response to increasing fishing, tourism and other human activities that lead to decline in coral and marine resources. MPAs often suffer inadequacy of funds and simply become “paper parks”. This study makes a case for the feasibility of a self-financing mechanism for MPAs by estimating potential surplus benefit that recreational users may gain from MPAs in Jamaica. These same recreational users in turn, might be willing to pay a small portion of that gain toward the management costs. With the help of a travel cost model and the visitors’ willingness to pay (WTP) estimates, we show that the management costs of the park amount to a negligible amount; less than 0.1% of the annual total WTP. Furthermore, using these WTP estimates and the findings from other stakeholders’ surveys (hotels, tour operators, etc.), the paper provides insights on user-supported funding policies, such as taxes and fees, which might sustain the operations of MPAs in Jamaica and the broader Caribbean region.     

A Novel Approach of Using Selected Unconventional Geodesic Methods of Estimation on VTS Areas

Abstract

The Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) systems belong to the fundamental tools used in ensuring a high level of safety across sea basins with heavy traffic, where the presence of navigational hazards poses a great risk of collision or a ship running aground. In order to determine the mutual location of ships, VTS systems obtain information from different facilities, such as coastal radar stations, AIS, and vision systems. Fixing a ship’s position is always accompanied by a degree of error, but the degree of error depends on the specific position fixing system used. In order to increase the accuracy of position fixing in VTS systems, the authors propose the use of contemporary geodetic methods. The article presents the theoretical fundamentals of two unconventional geodesic methods of estimation: M estimation and M_split(q)estimation and the authors’ own proposal of their application in VTS systems. The article concludes with a test verifying theoretical assumptions, performed with the use of a computer application allowing position fixing with the use of selected robust adjustment methods. Furthermore, an example is presented of M_split(q)estimation as used for the acquisition of low-signal radar echoes, which in VTS systems are not automatically identified for tracking. The level of the echo signal makes it difficult for a VTS controller to separate these objects from typical radar noise and interference.     

How much are the Bolinao-Anda coral reefs worth?

The Total Economic Value of the estimated 200 km² of coral reef area straddling the municipalities of Alaminos, Anda, Bani and Bolinao in Pangasinan, Philippines is estimated to reach US$38 million per year consisting mainly of indirect benefits from shoreline protection. Direct use from fisheries, aquaculture, and tourism was valued at US$6 million based on the coral reef interaction index. Non-use values for coral reef conservation were based on estimates of willingness to pay across the three economic sectors plus the general public as a fourth sector. Results varied across sectors and municipalities although the ranges were not wide, especially for fishers. Fishers’ willingness to pay averaged at US$0.25 per individual per year. Except for aquaculture operators in Bolinao, which yielded willingness to pay values reaching US$3 per individual per year, the range of conservation funding was narrow for the three other municipalities for all sectors. Using binary logistic regression (logit model), differences in willingness to pay among fishers are explained by the age, number of children, and employment status.     

基于空间距离效应的青岛市浒苔治理支付意愿研究

支付意愿的空间属性是影响环境物品估值效度的主要因素之一,忽略对空间距离的考量可能导致最终资源环境物品或服务的货币估值产生偏差。文章以青岛市海域浒苔灾害为研究对象,使用条件价值评估法,构建支付意愿函数模型,测算受访者距青岛市海边的距离,探索浒苔治理支付意愿是否存在距离衰减现象;通过划分不同的距离区,测算不同距离区内公众浒苔治理支付意愿,最终汇总得出浒苔治理带来的经济价值。研究结果显示：公众浒苔治理支付意愿“距离衰减”效应明显,距离海边较近的公众倾向于为治理浒苔支付较高的金额;青岛市浒苔治理总经济价值为9.84亿元/a;不考虑距离衰减效应最终导致浒苔治理经济价值的高估达27.03%。研究结论可为空间尺度上的非市场价值评估提供新的研究思路和科学参考,不仅提高了条件价值评估法估值结果的有效性,也提供了更加精准的青岛市浒苔治理经济价值估值。     

Valuing coastal water quality: Adelaide,South Australia metropolitan area

Coastal environments are increasingly under threat from multiple stressors and pressure from human activities across the land-sea interface. Managing these pressures from people requires, more than ever, understanding what is at stake in terms of the benefits and values associated with coastal waters. This article presents the results of a choice experiment which was designed to elicit society׳s willingness to pay in the context of economic and environmental trade-offs people to improve coastal water quality. The study site is a coastal Australian city, Adelaide, South Australia. The city discharges a large proportion of its stormwater and treated wastewater to the coastal waters of Gulf St Vincent. Willingness to pay for a package of improvements to urban water management is considerable. A mix of projects that restores 25 days per year of water clarity, seagrass area from 60% to 70% of the original area and five reef areas is worth $AUS67.1 M to households in the Adelaide metropolitan area. The results can inform public policy discussions including the cost-benefit analysis of different water management strategies including investments in urban infrastructure.     

海滩休闲旅游资源价值评估——以青岛市海水浴场为例

以青岛市海水浴场为例,运用旅行成本法和条件价值评估法对非市场的海滩休闲旅游资源价值进行了全面评估,并对海滩休闲旅游资源价值构成和总量进行了测算。调查结果发现,青岛市第一海水浴场消费者总剩余达到1.97亿元/年,海滩年度总使用支付意愿达到6 310万元,环境保护捐赠意愿达到1.74亿元,总海滩使用价值超过4.3亿元,再加上非使用价值,其价值总量相当可观。因此,开展对海滩的休闲旅游资源价值评估工作、建立合理的海滩开发和利用资源税制度对海滩的可持续发展具有深远意义。     

“海上丝绸之路”的恶劣环境及应对——极值风速和波高

海洋环境不仅决定着工程及人员的安全,也决定着工程建设的效率和经济收益。由此,在海上丝路建设过程中,需要重视海洋环境对经济建设、岛礁建设和战略通道安全的影响,以达到更好更快地建设海上丝路。文章利用ERA-interim阵风资料、ERA-interim海浪再分析资料,采用Gumbel曲线法推算了海上丝路0.25°×0.25°逐网格点上的50年一遇极值风速、极值波高。另外,还计算了某边远海岛的1年一遇、2年一遇、10年一遇……1 000年一遇的极值风速、极值波高。期望可以为海上丝路建设提供参考。