[Coral-List] Paper out - 50 days free download

[Steve Mussman]

Thanks Martina, a very interesting paper indeed, especially to those of us directly involved in the diving industry! I'm speculating a bit here, but I would think that attitudes on these issues might vary considerably based on location. Some geographic areas seem to be much more keen on advancing conservation and emphasizing environmental impact than others. The Portofino call for developing a new generation of youthful enthusiasm for protecting marine resources is particularly important. They might want to examine the programs promoted by STINAPA on the island of Bonaire. They have a great program already in place that does exemplary work in this regard. I was also particularly struck by two other comments in your paper. " . . . operators trusted that the scuba diving industry promotes conservation and environmental education" and "operators perceived shifting baselines in the marine ecosystem, such as reduced whale shark individuals and hard coral cover, as a consequence of global climate change and fishing . . . with the latter being very detrimental to the marine environment".  Both of these issues certainly deserve consideration, but I would suggest that the scuba diving industry (at least here in the USA) is not fulfilling its responsibilities to address either of these problems as far as it goes in promoting conservation and environmental education. We need to do better. Hopefully the scuba diving industry will take notice of your paper and it will serve as a stimulus for opening up a far reaching conversation on how we can realign our educational priorities while developing both a robust and sustainable future.  

Regards,
Steve Mussman
Sent from my iPad

> On Sep 14, 2016, at 4:56 PM, martina <m.milanese at studioassociatogaia.com> wrote:
> 
> Dear all,
> 
> as an output of the ongoing EU-funded project "Green Bubbles RISE for 
> sustainable diving", I'm pleased to announce the publication of the paper:
> 
> Scuba diving tourism systems and sustainability: Perceptions by the 
> scuba diving industry in two Marine Protected Areas. Tourism Management 
> (2017), pp. 385-403 DOI: 10.1016/j.tourman.2016.09.004
> 
> The paper will enjoy 50-days (until Nov 1st, 2016) free download at this 
> link, courtesy of Elsevier: http://authors.elsevier.com/a/1TiLYxTbMbITH
> 
> Abstract: Scuba diving tourism encourages conservation, generates 
> revenue, and supports local communities. Understanding its interactions 
> with environmental, social, and economic factors is important in the 
> context of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), where dynamics between role 
> players are complex. This study provides insights into the problems 
> affecting the sustainability of the scuba diving tourism industry in two 
> MPAs in Italy and Mozambique. The interactions between the industry and 
> environment, economy, non-monetary aspects, society, governance, and 
> scientific community were investigated via question- naire surveys and 
> interviews with 20 scuba diving operators. Operators felt the importance 
> of scuba diving to themselves, MPAs, and resident communities, although 
> they lamented limited support to the industry by other stakeholders. 
> Recommendations to enhance sustainability include actions ranging from 
> engagement in planning and management to education and social 
> responsibility. However, the heterogeneity of issues perceived by the 
> industry, reflected in differences between the case studies, calls for 
> ad hoc measures.
> 
> Please let me thank Serena Lucrezi (corresponding author) for her 
> incredibly focused attitude all along the way, from laying down field 
> work until the final revisions of the proofs. My gratitude also to all 
> other authors, it has been a pleasure (and it still is) working with you!
> 
> Martina
> 
> -- 
> Dr Martina Milanese, PhD
> 
> skype: m.milanese
> https://it.linkedin.com/in/martina-milanese-46963436
> twitter: @martix_m
> 
> Italian Mob. (WA) +39-338-1196672
> Moroccan Mob. +212-636808514
> 
> Studio Associato Gaia Snc dei Dottori Antonio Sarà e Martina Milanese
> Via Brigata Liguria 1/9 scala A
> 16121 Genova - Italy
> PI 01600400996
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