The cost of a gelatinous future and loss of critical habitats in the Mediterranean

Abstract

Abstract This paper investigates the economic valuations individuals make about the degradation of the marine ecosystem in the Gulf of Lion, in the western Mediterranean. A choice experiment has been conducted to quantify in monetary terms the social costs associated with two key aspects of degradation of the marine ecosystem: (i) the loss of critical habitats, and (ii) the risk of jellyfish outbreaks. We apply choice models to analyse the preference structure of residents and visitors for alternative ecosystem resilience scenarios. The focus of the modelling approach is on inference about welfare valuations and their relationship to the characteristics of the participants in the choice experiment, their perceptions of the importance of ecosystem services, attitudes to tourism, and trust in environmental policy-making institutions. We detected a number of significant linear and non-linear effects, and discuss the implications of our findings for marine environment protection policies.