Abstract

The government of St. Maarten recently established the country‘s first national park, protecting 1,500 hectares of coral reef and sea grasses. An analysis quantifying the economic value of the proposed park, using WRI‘s coral reef valuation method, played a key role in its establishment. Reef-related tourism is central to St. Maarten‘s economy. Reefs and coralline beaches attract 2 million visitors yearly, and tourism employs 75 percent of the country‘s population. Reefs and sea grass also nurture fisheries worth US$2 million per year, providing an important source of food and livelihood for islanders. Despite their economic value, St. Maarten‘s reefs have degraded for decades due to coastal development, climate change and overfishing. In 2010, the St. Maarten Nature Foundation began campaigning for a protected park, using a WRI methodology to show that marine ecosystems contribute US$58 million a year to the country‘s economy through tourism and fisheries. After a negotiation process, the government established Man of War Shoal Marine Park, protecting the island‘s marine habitats from over-exploitation, setting a precedent for the wider Caribbean region. Using the results of the Ecosystem Valuation Analysis, the Nature Foundation was also able to implement and enforce management actions to reflect the importance of individual species. Values were placed on sharks in particular, protecting them in territorial waters. Results of the study were also incorporated in Coral Reef Resiliency programs, in particular the Nature Foundation‘s Coral Bleaching response Plan, which outlines management actions to ensure coral reef resilience as it relates to climate change.

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