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State of the U.S. Ocean and Coastal Economies: Coastal States Summaries - 2016 Update
Get PDFThis publication contains two-page ocean and coastal economic summary reports for each of the 30 coastal states with data complementing the Center for the Blue Economy/National Ocean Economics Program latest State of the U.S. Ocean and Coastal Economies - Update 2016 report
A statistical assessment of maritime socioeconomic indicators for the European Atlantic area
Get PDFEver since the introduction into marine and maritime policy strategies worldwide of the relatively new concept of Blue Growth there has been an increasing interest in developing integrated systems of indicators for the maritime economy.
The Marnet project has been a recent attempt to develop a comparative maritime socioeconomic framework for the European Atlantic area and its database contains a large number of socioeconomic indicators for many maritime activities at different territorial levels that provide the information needed to help analyze and compare the maritime economy of the European Atlantic regions.
However, there are still many gaps with respect to the spatial and sectoral coverage of the statistical information available. This paper aims to assess the statistical coverage of the main maritime economic sectors in order to contribute to filling these gaps.
To help determine where future statistical efforts should focus the paper gives a list of indicators classified by maritime sectors and activities with information on the degree of territorial coverage of each indicator as measured by the percentage of EU Atlantic regions with data at each territorial level.
Based on this information, a list of failed indicators is presented in terms of EU Atlantic countries with no data plus the percentage of Atlantic regions with missing data in the rest of EU countries. Also, a Data Envelopment Analysis based statistical method is proposed to evaluate and compare the relative importance of each maritime sector on the European Atlantic economy.
Finally, variation among both sectoral and regional DEA scores is also discussed with the help of a combination of distribution and box-and-whisker plots, as it may offer novel insights into the influence of the maritime economy on the European Atlantic area
Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Planning for New England Communities: First Steps and Next Steps
Get PDFHurricane Irene tearing Vermont roads and bridges apart and Superstorm Sandy ripping through coastal areas; such phenomenal events are being joined by more frequent rain, tide and wind impacts that are disrupting communities and risking property and lives. New challenges arise from weather events that are driven by a less stable climate. The key difference between what communities already plan for and climate adaptation planning is the level of uncertainty about how impacts may change in the future and the potentially enormous and devastating damages that a community may sustain. This Guide presents an overview of that task, with links to the rapidly expanding guidelines and tools available to local governments and a suggested way of thinking about this responsibility as an extension of what local governments are already doing
The value of recreational fishing in the Irish marine waters: a travel cost analysis using on-site count data models
Get PDFThis paper’s contribution to the understanding of marine recreational pursuits in Ireland is based on the estimation of the first sea angling demand function. We use this empirical work to inform the more general debate surrounding resource allocation between commercial fisheries and recreational anglers. The study compares the use of Poisson and negative binomial count data models to estimate sea angling trip demand. The models also account for truncation and endogenous stratification; two issues that need to be controlled for when dealing with on-site sampled populations. The models are then used to estimate the mean willingness to pay of the average sea angler for an angling trip and the aggregate use value of sea angling recreation in Ireland. The results indicate the high value of the Irish marine environment as a recreational angling resource
An Economic Justification for the Development and Establishment of Seascapes in the Coral Triangle
Get PDFSpanning six counties and over six million square kilometers, the Coral Triangle is home to 75% of the world’s coral species, 37% of the world’s coral reef fish, 6 out of 7 of the world’s marine turtle species and an array of pelagic fish and cetaceans. In addition to its outstanding biodiversity, the Coral Triangle provides economic, social, and cultural benefits to over 396 million people and directly supports the livelihoods of over 130 million inhabitants. It is also one of the fastest growing regions of the world. The same economic opportunities driving the region’s growth are also putting enormous pressure on its natural resources and threatening ecosystem health. Given the development needs of the region, efforts to safeguard marine ecosystems need to be coupled with opportunities for economic growth. The seascapes approach acknowledges this need and, within defined marine geographies, organizes human activity and different management techniques in a holistic, integrated manner in order to both protect marine ecosystems and promote human well-being.
Examples from the Bird’s Head and Sulu-Sulawesi Seascapes show how different communities, industries, and governments have applied the seascapes approach and worked together to successfully establish marine protection while also promoting economic growth. The economic benefits exemplified by these cases range from benefits to local people, communities, and businesses, to larger industry growth, to increased certainty of access for private sector investment and sustainable financing, to increased long-term food security and safeguarding ecosystems services. These examples also provide lessons learned for establishing future seascapes in the Coral Triangle and recommendations for moving forward
A Valuation Analysis of the Physical Oceanographic Real Time System (PORTS)
Get PDFThis analysis estimates several economic benefits derived from national implementation of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (PORTS®) at the 175 largest ports in the United States. Significant benefits were observed owing to: (1) lower commercial marine accident rates and resultant reductions in morbidity, mortality and property damage; (2) reduced pollution remediation costs; and, (3) increased productivity associated with operation of more fully loaded commercial vessels. Evidence also suggested additional benefits from heightened commercial and recreational fish catch and diminished recreational boating accidents. Annual gross benefits from 58 current PORTS® locations exceeded 83 million possible if installed at the largest remaining 117 ports in the United States. Over the ten-year economic life of PORTS® instruments, the present value for installation at all 175 ports could approach $2.5 billion
Ocean Economy Valuation Studies in the Asia-Pacific Region: Lessons for the Future International Use of National Accounts in the Blue Economy
Get PDFThere have been several projects that have addressed the challenges of measuring the ocean economy in the Asia-Pacific region. The paper examines some lessons from these projects and the implications for the future use of national accounts.
Following the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Bali declaration, the APEC Marine Resource Conservation Working group’s “Measuring the Marine economy” project promoted consistent measurement of the marine economy across the 21 APEC economies against a list of agreed marine industry categories which was developed by an APEC workshop on Easter Island in 2004.
In 2008-09 a Partnership for the Environmental Management of the Seas of the East Asia (PEMSEA) worked with national marine economists in eight countries and revealed that some East Asian ocean economies had substantially higher marine economy as proportion of GDP than in more developed economies. In the past five years China has progressed several Blue economy forums. There have been several South East Asian Seas initiatives, such as the Changwon declaration, leading to a new PEMSEA project to measure the Blue economy for East Asian economies in 2015-2018.
The drivers to measure the Ocean economy are an outcome of regional initiatives and Ministerial declarations. Few government national account agencies see a need to supply ocean economy data and studies have been undertaken by academics and consultants with access to national account information. Ocean policy development in Australia, Canada and the US has produced some studies.
Marine industries are highly regulated and the government vision for oceans lies across many different agencies. In the Asia Pacific use of national accounts to provide industry estimates acknowledge the three pillars of sustainability, with social and environmental impact being important in these developing countries. There are different perspectives on the relevance of national accounts to green, blue economy valuation seeming to be less valued than less tangible environmental valuation approaches. The paper concludes that National accounts are necessary to blue economy evaluation, if not sufficient in all aspects and provide a solid basis for improvements in measurement of the Blue economy
The Economics of Climate Adaptation on America’s Coasts: A Washington Conversation
Get PDFReport of a colloquium on the economics of coastal climate change adaptation held in Washington D.C. on April 16, 2015. The event was sponsored by The Center for Blue Economy of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and the Urban Coast Institute of Monmouth University. Participants included Michael Conathan, Center for American Progress; Frank Nutter, Reinsurance Association of America; Dr. Robert Kopp, Rutgers University; Josh Sawislak, Council on Environmental Quality; Tony MacDonald, Urban Coast Institute; Jason Scorse and Charles Colgan, Center for the Blue Econom
The Ocean Economic Statistical System of China and Understanding of the Blue Economy
Get PDFThe ocean and its resources are increasingly seen as indispensable in addressing the multiple challenges the planet is facing in the decades to come. It has never been easy to quantify this particular sector of the economy, in any country, given the lack of a detailed, centralized data base with adequate specifics covering the necessary sectors, this article aims to compare the existing ocean economy statistical systems, especially Asia-Pacific, American and European countries, in order to overcome the deficiencies with regard to the diversity of definitions and statistical representations of ocean sectors, establish the standard statistical system and compile data for the global ocean economy
Assessing Non-market Benefits of Seagrass Restoration in the Gulf of Gdańsk
Get PDFSeagrass meadows (Zostera marina) are an important ecosystem in the coastal environment of the Baltic Sea. This study employs a discrete choice experiment to value a set of non-market benefits provided by seagrass meadows in the Gulf of Gdańsk, Poland. The benefits valued in this study are a reduction of filamentous algae in the water and on the beach; access to seagrass meadows for boaters and divers; and improved water clarity. Results show significant willingness to pay for each attribute and differences of value estimates across different groups of survey respondents. It is discussed how to link choice attributes and estimated values with established ecosystem benefit categories in order to facilitate value transfer