IOCARIBEGOOS: Social, Cultural and Economic Relationships

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IOCARIBE/GOOSSocial, Cultural and Economic
Relationships

• Robert E. Bowen
• Environmental, Coastal and Ocean Sciences (ECOS)
• University of Massachusetts

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Themes to Consider

• Need to initiate partnership with the user
  community.
• Program structure needs to explicitly link social
  and coastal system dynamics.
• Broaden communication natural scientists, social
  scientists and the user community

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I. Initiation of a Partnership
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Problem Definition

• Ensure that questions are framed in ways that are
  mutually characterized, understood by and viewed
  as manageable by all parties.

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Problem Definition

• More formally link monitoring/research areas with
  management/economic geography.
• Ensure that the potential contribution of
  scientific insight is clearly and tangibly
  characterized. Not meeting expectations can
  create immediate and future challenges.
• Link tasks/reporting with critical seasonal or
  management deadlines.

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Structure of the Partnership

• Shared decision-making representing all user
  communities, including those with implementation
  authority.

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Structure of the Partnership

• Shift from education and advisory to shared
  decision-making, including the design of the
  forum.
• Use a broadly trusted facilitator as chair.
• Secure funding to ensure the perception of a
  serious effort and to ensure a more equal footing
  for all participants.

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User Motivation

• Focus on the benefits of participation and on the
  costs of exclusion

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User Motivation

• Clearly assess the benefit values that will be
  affected.
• Include such issues as litigation costs and
  liability exposure
• Identify successful cases as a way to familiarize
  participants with the process.

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II. Linking Social and Coastal System Dynamics

• Assess level, scope and trends of critical social
  activities and resource uses affecting coastal
  systems.
• Specify associated environmental stresses.
• Detail socio-economic consequences of coastal
  environmental degradation.

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Linking Coastal Tourism and Coastal Environmental
Quality

• Tourism is now the single largest industry
  sector.
• In 2000, there were nearly 700 million
  international tourist arrivals. Up 7.4 from
  1999 and more than double 1985.
• In the Wider Caribbean fully one-third of
  countries rely on tourism for more than one-third
  of GDP and one-quarter of total employment.

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Coastal Tourism and Coastal Environmental Systems

• Tourist Complexes
• Small Resorts/Hotels
• Dive-based and Shoreside Recreational
• Parks and Protected Areas

• Physical Changes
• Nitrification
• Toxics Introduction
• Groundwater Issues
• Sewage
• Sediment Loads
• Litter/Plastics

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Calculating Losses Attributable to Environmental
Degradation

• Reductions in the comparative rate of growth of
  coastal tourism.
• Cost of beach restoration projects.
• Beach closings and associated public health costs.

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Beach Closings

• Global level data is extremely uneven.
• In the United States, in 1999 there were, at
  least 7,200 beach closing days.
• Active and more rigorous monitoring has increased
  reported beach closing days from 484 in 1984 to
  present levels.
• Monitoring protocols vary dramatically both
  within and between countries.

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The Annapolis Protocol

• Integrated monitoring protocol designed to
  increase probability of isolating effect of human
  pathogens.
• Primary Microbiological Indicators
• Temperate enterococcus and e.coli
• Tropical - closdridium

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Annapolis Protocol

• Other Primary Indicators
• Proximity and level of sewage discharge to the
  beach.
• Level of watershed population during peak season
  and riverine flow.
• Bather density and beach flow/dilution to account
  for local fecal loading.

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III. Communication Approaches

• Emphasize the timing and content needs of all
  users in building reporting products.
• Embrace the fact that most individuals acquire
  information best in ways different from
  traditional scientific reporting
• Take fullest advantage of graphic display,
  information management and animation.
• Increase availability by web-based reporting.