NERP TE Project 10.2 Socio-economic systems and reef resilience (JCU)

This project focuses on relationships between socio-economic systems and the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). It comprises three interrelated activities to investigate: 1. Resident and tourist views about the relative ‘value’ of key ecosystem services that are provided by the reef. Researchers will design, distribute and analyse the results of a survey instrument to assess the relative value of different goods and services produced by the GBR to stakeholder groups using both traditional money-based valuation techniques and Larson’s non-monetary based technique. 2. Tourist views about the relative value of key attributes of reef health, and the likely consequence if reef health deteriorates such as fewer visits and less expenditure. 3. Researchers will develop proxies for rainfall, water quality, land use and economy at the catchment scale. Analyses of these data will be used to determine the extent to which variations in beef prices, the exchange rate and other socio-economic variables (in conjunction with biophysical variables) influence water quality in the GBR lagoon.The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is famous for its spectacular coral, rich biodiversity and natural beauty. However, none of these important assets are bought or sold in the marketplace, so none are explicitly ‘valued’ with a price. Recognising that absence of price does not mean absence of value, this project seeks to improve our understanding of these non-market ‘values’ to a variety of different stakeholders.Natalie Stoeckl (JCU), Jon Brodie (ACTFR/JCU), Margaret Gooch (GBRMPA), Silva Larson (JCU), Bruce Prideaux (JCU), Steven Lewis (ACTFR/JCU), Renae Tobin (EES/JCU), Taha Chaiechi (JCU), Prof. Bob Costanza & Ida Kubiszewski (Australian National University), Michelle Thomson (JCU), Marina Farr (JCU), Michelle Esparon (JCU), Zula Altai (JCU), Diane Jarvis (JCU