The non-consumptive (tourism) 'value' of marine species in the Northern section of the Great Barrier Reef

This paper uses the Kristrom (logit) spike model to analyse contingent valuation (payment card) data from a study of 2180 domestic and international visitors taking reef trips to the Northern section of the Great Barrier Reef. It investigates: (a) their willingness to pay for a “100% guaranteed sighting” of several different marine species; and (b) the sensitivity of final estimates to various methodological issues. It finds that final estimates are particularly sensitive to questionnaire design, but that the ranking of species (from most to least 'valued') is robust across a range of methodological specifications. The most valued groups of species were (in order): whales and dolphins; sharks and rays; 'variety'; marine turtles; and finally large fish. Evidently, whale watching is not the only potentially lucrative source of tourism revenue; other marine species may be similarly appealing. These potential revenues need to be considered when making decisions about whether or not to conserve marine species.