Ecology and Microeconomics as ‘Joint Products’: The Bonaire Marine Park in the Caribbean

Abstract

The growing worldwide concern with the protection of biodiversity and unique natural places frequently comes into direct conflict with those who wish to exploit the same resources for personal gain or national benefit. This is true both on the land and in the seas. marine ecosystems are less well understood in general than terrestrial systems, and their study presents interesting analytical issues — both on the economic and on the biological side. In a number of locations, especially in the Caribbean and more recently in East Asia, the development of marine protected areas and scuba diving and other water-sport tourism have gone hand-in-hand. These activities — conservation and tourism — are potentially a ‘joint product’ of the protected area system.² The act of protection produces both ecological benefits and direct economic benefits to the local economy. In turn, the generation of economic benefits helps create the political support (and the financial resources) necessary for better management of the protected area.

1 The authors acknowledge the assistance of Jan Post of the Environment Department and financial support from Swedish Trust Funds as well as helpful comments from Alfredo Sfeir-Younis, Robert Anderson, Robert Schneider, Ing-Marie Gren, Kalli de Meyer, Jose Sokol and an anonymous reviewer. The views are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the World Bank or any of its affiliates.