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Valuing marine parks in a small island developing state: a travel cost analysis in Seychelles

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 January 2013

Paul Mwebaze  and
Alan MacLeod
Paul Mwebaze
Affiliation:
The Commonwealth, Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), EcoSciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Dutton Park, Brisbane, QLD 4102, Australia; and The Food and Environment Research Agency, York, UK. Tel: +61-424804293. E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]
Alan MacLeod
Affiliation:
The Food and Environment Research Agency, York, UK. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

A major problem facing the Seychelles islands is the decline in the quality and the value of marine protected areas (MPAs). Economic valuation can help guide policy makers to understand the value of marine resources and the cost of neglecting MPAs by expressing the value of their goods and services in monetary terms. This paper presents an analysis of the economic value of a group of marine parks in Seychelles. The travel cost method is used to establish willingness-to-pay of international tourists for trips to marine parks in Seychelles from their observed behaviour. The average per-trip consumer surplus is approximately €128 for single-site visitors and €65 for multiple-site visitors. The total social welfare value attributable to the recreational opportunity in marine parks is approximately €3.7 million annually. These results provide policy makers with a strong justification for government investment needed to maintain marine sites in Seychelles.

Type
Special Section on Biodiversity-based development in Small Island Developing States
Information
Environment and Development Economics , Volume 18 , Issue 4 , August 2013 , pp. 405 - 426
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

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