Abstract
It has been argued that strategies to manage natural areas important for tourism and recreation should integrate an understanding of tourist preferences for specific natural features. However, the accuracy of tourist recalled perceptions of environmental attributes, which are usually derived from post hoc surveys and used to establish management priorities, is currently unmeasured. We tested the validity of the relationship between tourist-stated preferences and actual condition of coral reefs around the Caribbean island of Bonaire. Using standardized questionnaires, we asked 200 divers to select their most and least favorite dive sites and the attributes that contributed to that selection. We also carried out ecological surveys at 76 of the 81 dives sites around the island to assess the actual conditions of the attributes indicated as important for site selection. Fish- and coral-related attributes were key features affecting dive enjoyment. In general, divers appeared to be able to perceive differences between sites in the true condition of biological attributes such as fish species richness, total number of fish schools, live coral cover, coral species richness, and reef structural complexity, although men and women divers differed in their ability to perceive/recall some of the attributes. Perceived differences in environmental attributes, such as surface conditions, underwater current, and the likelihood of encountering rare fish and sea turtles, were not empirically validated. The fact that divers perceive correctly differences in the condition of some of the key biological attributes that affect dive enjoyment reinforces the need to maintain overall reef condition at satisfactory levels. However, variation in accuracy of perceptions owing to demographic factors and attribute type suggests the need for caution when using public perceptions to develop environmental management strategies, particularly for coral reefs.
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank Bonaire National Marine Park, Wanna Dive, Toucan Diving, Larry’s Wild Side Diving Bonaire, Habitat, Bonaire Flamingo Airport, and Chat ‘n’ Browse for their logistical support. Special thanks go to Elsmarie Beukenboom, Edwin Domacassé, Ramón de León, Fernando Simal, and Simone Wackenhut for their substantial help in setting up the project. We also thank Jokin del Amo, Denice Boelen, Gregory la Croes, Daniel Díaz, Aleks Maljkovic, Rowan Martin, Allison Perry, Karel Rosario, John Tayleur, Sixto Trenidad, Elly Versteeg, Marco Visbeen, Johan Visser, Sam Williams, Sherman Winklaar, Matthijs Winters, and, especially, Jorge W. Ferrón, Fred Fisher, Luis Gorrín, Ramón de León, Duvan Ríos, and Julio Abraham for field assistance. Susan Porter and Mabel Nava (Sea Turtle Conservation) provided valuable help. We are also grateful to Julie-Ann Frans, Kerenza Rannou, and Crisanta Martha and to all the tourists who gave up their holiday time to complete our survey. We thank Jennifer A. Gill for her statistical and intellectual support. Funding was provided by Bonaire National Marine Park, Simon Fraser University, PADI AWARE, Reef Conservation UK, and the Philip Rickett Foundation. M.C.U. was funded by a scholarship from the Gobierno de Navarra and now by Fundación Caja Madrid. I.M.C. is supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
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Uyarra, M.C., Watkinson, A.R. & Côté, I.M. Managing Dive Tourism for the Sustainable Use of Coral Reefs: Validating Diver Perceptions of Attractive Site Features. Environmental Management 43, 1–16 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-008-9198-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-008-9198-z