Spatially explicit economic assessment of cultural ecosystem services: Non-extractive recreational uses of the coastal environment related to marine biodiversity A. Ruiz-Frau a,n , H. Hinz a , G. Edwards-Jones b,c , M.J. Kaiser a a School of Ocean Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge LL59 5AB, United Kingdom b School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography, College of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor LL57 2UW, United Kingdom c Sadly, Gareth Edward-Jones passed away in August 2011 article info Article history: Received 29 February 2012 Received in revised form 16 May 2012 Accepted 17 May 2012 Keywords: Marine spatial planning Valuation Marine biodiversity Mapping Recreation abstract The adoption of comprehensive marine spatial plans (MSP) requires that all aspects of value associated with marine biodiversity are considered in their development. Therefore, a holistic approach to MSP needs to include the ecological, social and economic aspects related to the range of goods and services provided by marine biodiversity. In temperate coastal areas however, extractive uses of marine biodiversity (i.e., fisheries) tend to receive more consideration than other non-extractive uses such as certain forms of recreation. This is primarily due to its economic and social importance and a lack of information on non-extractive uses of marine biodiversity. This study presents an assessment of the economic importance and spatial distribution of non-extractive uses of marine biodiversity (diving, kayaking, wildlife watching from boats and seabird watching) in the coastal temperate area of Wales and its application to MSP. The assessment of the economic importance and spatial distribution of these uses was ascertained through questionnaires with relevant users. Results indicated that the economic importance of non-extractive recreational uses of marine biodiversity in Wales is comparable to that of commercial fisheries for the same region. Spatially there was a significant degree of overlap among areas used by the different recreational groups studied here and the distribution of uses could be linked to different aspects of marine biodiversity, such as the presence of particular habitats in the case of divers. The integration of spatially explicit socioeconomic data for a range of different uses of marine biodiversity enables policy makers to gain useful insight into the potential consequences of imple- menting a spatial management regime, as certain uses can be sometimes overlooked but are still essential if we are to consider the impact of spatial planning on all economically relevant activities. Such data provide a balanced overview of the value of marine biodiversity to different sectors of society and contributes to the process of developing comprehensive marine spatial plans. & 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Introduction Marine biodiversity provides society with a wide range of goods and services that are essential for the maintenance of our social and economic wellbeing [1]. The benefits provided by marine biodiversity, in terms of ecosystem goods and services, can be divided into four main categories: provisioning services, regulating services, cultural services and supporting services [2]. Over the past decade, the economic assessment of the services provided by ecosystems has become increasingly important in a policy context [3–8]. Although some of the approaches used in the assessment of the economic importance of biodiversity have been controversial [9], in the absence of monetary valuation some biodiversity services might be overlooked during decision making. This may lead to inappropriate decisions that in some instances may result in the degradation of the marine environment and the services it provides. Cultural services, defined as the non-material benefits people obtain from ecosystems through spiritual enrichment, cognitive development, reflection, recreation, and aesthetic experiences [2], are among those provided by marine biodiversity. Thus far however, studies on the assessment of the economic importance of cultural services have mainly focused on iconic marine habitats (e.g., coral reefs) and species (e.g., whales) [10–14]. Activities such as whale-watching or scuba-diving on coral reefs attract high numbers of visitors and generate significant economic revenues both at a local and national scale [15]. In contrast, the importance Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/marpol Marine Policy 0308-597X/$ - see front matter & 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2012.05.023 n Correspondence author E-mail address: a.ruiz@univ.bangor.ac.uk (A. Ruiz-Frau). Please cite this article as: Ruiz-Frau A, et al. Spatially explicit economic assessment of cultural ecosystem services: Non-extractive recreational uses of the coastal environment related to marine.... Mar. Policy (2012), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2012.05.023 Marine Policy ] (]]]]) ]]]–]]]