Publisher :
Place of publication :
Publication year : 2004
Thematic : TEEB
Language : English
Note
Coral reefs are ecosystems with enormous value, including intrinsic, ecological, economic, cultural and aesthetic values. Reefs provide food and employment to millions of people in the developing world and generate billions of dollars for local and global economies, from diving related tourism. Coral reefs are a precious natural endowment of wealth for any country that has them. Yet 60% of the remaining reefs are threatened and those in Southeast Asia particularly so. Recent developments in the economics of coral reefs have made explicit to policy makers the considerable economic losses that coral reef destruction entails. Increasingly advocated �bottom up� conservation initiatives require local information for areas of particular biological, economic or social significance. The Wakatobi National Park in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia is in the global epicentre of marine biodiversity and has been chosen as the target for the largest coral reef conservation programme anywhere in the world. The total economic value (TEV) framework was employed to identify and quantify the most significant benefits that a 26km2 area of coral reefs provides the local Bajau community of Sampela with. The largest (use) value was attributable to fisheries, which produce an average of Ruipah 94 million per km2 annually and had a present value (PV) of over Rp20 billion (over 20 years with a 10% discount rate). A fisheries and livelihood survey demonstrated this community�s reliance on these reefs for food and employment. There are also significant eco-tourist revenues entering Sampela, facilitated by Operation Wallacea, providing almost Rp12 million per km2 in 2004 and an expected PV of Rp2.6 billion, despite relatively modest development. The indirect benefit of �coastal� protection was estimated to be worth Rp12 million annually or Rp4.3 million/km2. The non-use, recreational and spiritual benefits of this area were estimated with contingent valuation to be Rp412,000/km2, (PV of Rp91 million), a fifth of that associated with all the reef�s benefits. Households were estimated to have an average annual willingness to pay of Rp222,000 to access and use these reefs, despite the availability of other reefs in the vicinity. The TEV for this area of coral reefs was estimated to be Rp2.8 billion or Rp110 million/km2 for this community alone. If the future of these reefs is to be ensured, then the uses, attitudes and values of these local subsistence communities, who are the major stakeholders, needs to be incorporated into local management and policy decisions.W
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Keywords : ecosystem services
Encoded by : Pauline Carmel Joy Eje
