Available online xxxx JEL classification:

Built coastal environment Natural coastal environment Ecosystem service valuation GIS Spatial economic valuation Meta-analytical value transfer This paper examines the welfare dimension of the recreational services of coastal ecosystems. First, we con-struct a global database of primary valuation studies that focus on recreational benefits of coastal ecosystems. Second, the profile of each of the 253 individual observations is enriched with characteristics of the built coastal environment (accessibility, anthropogenic pressure, human development level), natural coastal envi-ronment (presence of protected area, ecosystem type, marine biodiversity), geo-climatic factors (tempera-ture, precipitation), and sociopolitical context. We then propose a meta-analytical framework that is built upon a Geographic Information System (GIS) and allow for the exploration of the spatial dimension of the valued ecosystems, including the role of spatial heterogeneity of the selected meta-regression variables as well as the spatial profile of the transferred values. The empirical outcome results in the first global map of the values of coastal recreation, which may play a crucial role in identifying and ranking coastal area conser-vation priorities from a socio-economic perspective. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1