Climate change will further exacerbate wetland deterioration, especially in the Mediterranean region. On the one side, it will accelerate the decline in the populations and species of plants and animals, this resulting in an impoverishment of biological abundance. On the other one, it will also promote biotic homogenization, resulting in a loss of species’ diversity. In this context, different climate change adaptation policies can be designed: those oriented to recovering species’ abundance and those aimed at restoring species’ diversity. Based on the awareness that knowledge about visitors’ preferences is crucial to better inform policy makers and secure wetlands’ public use and conservation, this paper assesses the recreational benefits of different adaptation options through a choice experiment study carried out in S’Albufera wetland (Mallorca). Results show that visitors display positive preferences for an increase in both species’ abundance and diversity, although they assign a higher value to the latter, thus suggesting a higher social acceptability of policies pursuing wetlands’ differentiation. This finding acquires special relevance not only for adaptation management in wetlands but also for tourism planning, as most visitors to S’Albufera are tourists. Thus, given the growing competition to attract visitors and the increasing demand for high environmental quality and unique experiences, promoting wetlands’ differentiation could be a good strategy to gain competitive advantage over other wetland areas and tourism destinations.

Valuing the Recreational Benefits of Wetland Adaptation to Climate Change: A Trade-off Between Species’ Abundance and Diversity / Faccioli, M.; Riera Font, A.; Torres Figuerola, C. M.. - In: ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT. - ISSN 0364-152X. - 55:3(2015), pp. 550-563. [10.1007/s00267-014-0407-7]

Valuing the Recreational Benefits of Wetland Adaptation to Climate Change: A Trade-off Between Species’ Abundance and Diversity

Faccioli M.
Primo
;
2015-01-01

Abstract

Climate change will further exacerbate wetland deterioration, especially in the Mediterranean region. On the one side, it will accelerate the decline in the populations and species of plants and animals, this resulting in an impoverishment of biological abundance. On the other one, it will also promote biotic homogenization, resulting in a loss of species’ diversity. In this context, different climate change adaptation policies can be designed: those oriented to recovering species’ abundance and those aimed at restoring species’ diversity. Based on the awareness that knowledge about visitors’ preferences is crucial to better inform policy makers and secure wetlands’ public use and conservation, this paper assesses the recreational benefits of different adaptation options through a choice experiment study carried out in S’Albufera wetland (Mallorca). Results show that visitors display positive preferences for an increase in both species’ abundance and diversity, although they assign a higher value to the latter, thus suggesting a higher social acceptability of policies pursuing wetlands’ differentiation. This finding acquires special relevance not only for adaptation management in wetlands but also for tourism planning, as most visitors to S’Albufera are tourists. Thus, given the growing competition to attract visitors and the increasing demand for high environmental quality and unique experiences, promoting wetlands’ differentiation could be a good strategy to gain competitive advantage over other wetland areas and tourism destinations.
2015
3
Faccioli, M.; Riera Font, A.; Torres Figuerola, C. M.
Valuing the Recreational Benefits of Wetland Adaptation to Climate Change: A Trade-off Between Species’ Abundance and Diversity / Faccioli, M.; Riera Font, A.; Torres Figuerola, C. M.. - In: ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT. - ISSN 0364-152X. - 55:3(2015), pp. 550-563. [10.1007/s00267-014-0407-7]
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
paper 2015_Faccioli.pdf

Solo gestori archivio

Tipologia: Versione editoriale (Publisher’s layout)
Licenza: Tutti i diritti riservati (All rights reserved)
Dimensione 498.82 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
498.82 kB Adobe PDF   Visualizza/Apri

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11572/354755
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? 2
  • Scopus 30
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 27
social impact