Coastal Resources Economics and Ecosystem Valuation

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Oceans and Coastal Zones".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (3 May 2019) | Viewed by 27879

Printed Edition Available!
A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special Issue Editors

University of Central Florida and National Center for Integrated Coastal Research, Orlando, FL 32816
Interests: Environmental economics; marine resource economics; environmental valuation
University of Central Florida and National Center for Integrated Coastal Research, Orlando, FL 32816
Interests: Natural resource economics; Environmental economics; Recreation and Tourism; Non-market valuation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Coastal areas around the world are dynamic environments at the interface of terrestrial, marine, and freshwater systems. Nearly 40% of the world’s people already live in these areas, yet coastal zones are increasingly attractive for development and tourism, and are vulnerable to a variety of impacts from land use, water management, nutrients, invasive species, extreme weather, sea level rise and oil spills, among others.

This Special Issue will focus on original research into the application of economic valuation methods to understand and measure the contribution of coastal resources and ecosystems to human well-being. These resources include, but are not limited to: estuaries, beaches, wetlands, shores, mangroves, seagrasses and salt marsh, coral reefs, and essential fish habitat. Valuation methods include the full range of methods: stated and revealed preference, hedonic pricing, bioeconomic models, and habitat equivalency analysis.

The goal is to provide meaningful information for policymakers and resource managers about the economic significance of coastal resources for planning and restoration. We welcome papers from researchers around the world to provide a broad international perspective on new developments in this area.

Prof. J. Walter Milon
Prof. Sergio Alvarez
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Environmental valuation
  • Coastal ecosystem service valuation
  • Coastal management
  • Ecosystem restoration

Published Papers (7 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

4 pages, 141 KiB  
Editorial
Coastal Resources Economics and Ecosystem Valuation
by J. Walter Milon and Sergio Alvarez
Water 2019, 11(11), 2206; https://doi.org/10.3390/w11112206 - 23 Oct 2019
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2477
Abstract
The papers in this special issue provide new insights into ongoing research to value coastal and marine ecosystem services, and offer meaningful information for policymakers and resource managers about the economic significance of coastal resources for planning, restoration, and damage assessment. Study areas [...] Read more.
The papers in this special issue provide new insights into ongoing research to value coastal and marine ecosystem services, and offer meaningful information for policymakers and resource managers about the economic significance of coastal resources for planning, restoration, and damage assessment. Study areas encompass a broad geographic scope from the Gulf of Mexico in the United States, to the Caribbean, the European Union, Australia, and Southeast Asia. The focus of these papers ranges from theoretical perspectives on linkages between ecosystem services and resource management, to the actual integration of valuation information in coastal and marine resource policy decisions, and to the application of economic valuation methods to specific coastal and marine resource management problems. We hope readers will appreciate these new contributions to the growing literature on coastal and marine resource ecosystem services valuation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coastal Resources Economics and Ecosystem Valuation)

Research

Jump to: Editorial, Review

13 pages, 2730 KiB  
Article
Using Internet Surveys to Estimate Visitors’ Willingness to Pay for Coral Reef Conservation in the Kenting National Park, Taiwan
by Nathaniel Maynard, Pierre-Alexandre Château, Lauriane Ribas-Deulofeu and Je-Liang Liou
Water 2019, 11(7), 1411; https://doi.org/10.3390/w11071411 - 09 Jul 2019
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 5193
Abstract
Without appropriate conservation action, coral reefs globally continue to degrade, causing declines in economic value. Therefore, their local conservation and quantifying its benefits become increasingly important. However, accurately measuring these values remains expensive or complicated. Leveraging digital survey tools, an interdisciplinary on-line survey [...] Read more.
Without appropriate conservation action, coral reefs globally continue to degrade, causing declines in economic value. Therefore, their local conservation and quantifying its benefits become increasingly important. However, accurately measuring these values remains expensive or complicated. Leveraging digital survey tools, an interdisciplinary on-line survey was created to estimate willingness to pay (WTP) for coral reef conservation using pictures and ecological data. Using the contingent valuation method we estimate current values as well as changes in value due to restoration or degradation for coral ecosystems in the Kenting National Park (KNP) in Taiwan. Results suggest that conserving degraded coral reef ecosystems leads to larger gains in value than healthier ones. Average WTP estimates a non-market economic value of 680 million US$ per year for the whole KNP marine area. Despite potential self-reporting bias and limits on sample size, these values appear consistent with similar studies and suggest future economic sampling strategies for KNP. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coastal Resources Economics and Ecosystem Valuation)
Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 465 KiB  
Article
Coastal and Marine Quality and Tourists’ Stated Intention to Return to Barbados
by Peter Schuhmann, Ryan Skeete, Richard Waite, Prosper Bangwayo-Skeete, James Casey, Hazel A. Oxenford and David A. Gill
Water 2019, 11(6), 1265; https://doi.org/10.3390/w11061265 - 17 Jun 2019
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 5175
Abstract
Seawater quality is critical for island and coastal communities dependent on coastal tourism. Improper management of coastal development and inland watersheds can decrease seawater quality and adversely impact marine life, human health, and economic growth. Agricultural runoff and improper sewage management compromise nearshore [...] Read more.
Seawater quality is critical for island and coastal communities dependent on coastal tourism. Improper management of coastal development and inland watersheds can decrease seawater quality and adversely impact marine life, human health, and economic growth. Agricultural runoff and improper sewage management compromise nearshore water quality in many coastal regions and can impact visitation decisions of tourists who are drawn to these destinations. The purpose of this paper is to understand how tourists’ decisions to revisit Barbados might be affected by changes in coastal and marine quality. We use data collected from tourists to examine how tourists’ stated willingness to return is affected by scenarios involving changes in seawater quality, beach width and coral reef health. Results reveal that return decisions are sensitive to changes in all aspects of coastal and marine quality. A reduction in seawater quality discourages tourists’ intention to return more than other environmental factors. These results are of paramount interest to destination managers, marketers and policymakers who rely on repeat visitation data to develop marketing strategies and infer future direction. This research highlights the importance of prioritizing seawater quality management to protect the coastal tourism product, especially in small island developing states (SIDS) with a high reliance on tourism income. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coastal Resources Economics and Ecosystem Valuation)
Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 15035 KiB  
Article
Valuing Provision Scenarios of Coastal Ecosystem Services: The Case of Boat Ramp Closures Due to Harmful Algae Blooms in Florida
by Sergio Alvarez, Frank Lupi, Daniel Solís and Michael Thomas
Water 2019, 11(6), 1250; https://doi.org/10.3390/w11061250 - 14 Jun 2019
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3918
Abstract
Ecosystem service flows may change or disappear temporarily or permanently as a result of environmental changes or ecological disturbances. In coastal areas, ecological disturbances caused by toxin-producing harmful algae blooms can impact flows of ecosystem services, particularly provisioning (e.g., seafood harvesting) and cultural [...] Read more.
Ecosystem service flows may change or disappear temporarily or permanently as a result of environmental changes or ecological disturbances. In coastal areas, ecological disturbances caused by toxin-producing harmful algae blooms can impact flows of ecosystem services, particularly provisioning (e.g., seafood harvesting) and cultural services (e.g., recreation). This study uses a random utility model of recreational boating choices to simulate changes in the value of cultural ecosystem services provided by recreation in coastal ecosystems resulting from prolonged ecological disturbances caused by harmful algae blooms. The empirical application relies on observed trips to 35 alternative boat access ramps in Lee County, an important marine access destination in southwest Florida. Results indicate that reduced boating access from harmful algae blooms may have resulted in losses of $3 million for the 2018 blooms, which lasted from the end of June to the end of September. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coastal Resources Economics and Ecosystem Valuation)
Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 2147 KiB  
Article
Applying Spatial Mapping of Remotely Sensed Data to Valuation of Coastal Ecosystem Services in the Gulf of Mexico
by Valerie Seidel, Daniel Dourte and Craig Diamond
Water 2019, 11(6), 1179; https://doi.org/10.3390/w11061179 - 05 Jun 2019
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2841
Abstract
Spatial mapping of remote sensing data tends to be used less when valuing coastal ecosystem services than in other ecosystems. This research project aimed to understand obstacles to the use of remote sensing data in coastal ecosystem valuations, and to educate coastal stakeholders [...] Read more.
Spatial mapping of remote sensing data tends to be used less when valuing coastal ecosystem services than in other ecosystems. This research project aimed to understand obstacles to the use of remote sensing data in coastal ecosystem valuations, and to educate coastal stakeholders on potential remote sensing data sources and techniques. A workshop program identified important barriers to the adoption of remote sensing data: perceived gaps in spatial and temporal scale, uncertainty about confidence intervals and precision of remote sensing data, and linkages between coastal ecosystem services and values. Case studies that demonstrated the state of the science were used to show methods to overcome the barriers. The case studies demonstrate multiple approaches to valuation that have been used successfully in coastal projects, and validate that spatial mapping of remote sensing data may fill critical gaps, such as cost-effectively generating calibrated historical data. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coastal Resources Economics and Ecosystem Valuation)
Show Figures

Figure 1

10 pages, 216 KiB  
Article
Valuing Coastal Habitat–Fishery Linkages under Regulated Open Access
by Edward B. Barbier
Water 2019, 11(4), 847; https://doi.org/10.3390/w11040847 - 23 Apr 2019
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3121
Abstract
This paper explores how regulation of an open access fishery influences the value of a coastal habitat that serves as breeding and nursery grounds. A model of the fishery supported by a coastal wetland is developed, which includes a quota rule that restricts [...] Read more.
This paper explores how regulation of an open access fishery influences the value of a coastal habitat that serves as breeding and nursery grounds. A model of the fishery supported by a coastal wetland is developed, which includes a quota rule that restricts harvest to a fixed proportion of the current stock. The model is applied to mangrove-dependent shellfish and demersal fisheries in Thailand. The value of the welfare effects associated with a change in a supporting coastal habitat is influenced significantly by whether or not the regulatory quota can adjust in response to these changes. Welfare losses are considerably higher when the quota is fixed as opposed to when it can be adjusted. With the restriction in place, effort cannot change to offset the decline in biomass, and as a result, there is a much larger fall in harvest. In addition, the welfare losses are much larger for the shellfish compared to the demersal fisheries. The analysis illustrates that imposing a regulatory rule on an open access fishery has important implications for valuing any linkage between coastal breeding and nursery habitat and a near-shore fishery. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coastal Resources Economics and Ecosystem Valuation)

Review

Jump to: Editorial, Research

19 pages, 441 KiB  
Review
The Elusive Quest for Valuation of Coastal and Marine Ecosystem Services
by J. Walter Milon and Sergio Alvarez
Water 2019, 11(7), 1518; https://doi.org/10.3390/w11071518 - 22 Jul 2019
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 4232
Abstract
Coastal and marine ecosystem (CME) services provide benefits to people through direct goods and services that may be harvested or enjoyed in situ and indirect services that regulate and support biological and geophysical processes now and in the future. In the past two [...] Read more.
Coastal and marine ecosystem (CME) services provide benefits to people through direct goods and services that may be harvested or enjoyed in situ and indirect services that regulate and support biological and geophysical processes now and in the future. In the past two decades, there has been an increase in the number of studies and journal articles designed to measure the economic value of the world’s CME services, although there is significantly less published research than for terrestrial ecosystems. This article provides a review of the literature on valuation of CME services along with a discussion of the theoretical and practical challenges that must be overcome to utilize valuation results in CME policy and planning at local, regional, and global scales. The review reveals that significant gaps exist in research and understanding of the broad range of CME services and their economic values. It also raises questions about the validity of aggregating ecosystem services as independent components to determine the value of a biome when there is little understanding of the relationships and feedbacks between ecosystems and the services they produce. Finally, the review indicates that economic valuation of CME services has had a negligible impact on the policy process in four main regions around the world. An alternative direction for CME services research would focus on valuing the world’s CME services in a wealth accounting framework. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coastal Resources Economics and Ecosystem Valuation)
Back to TopTop