Are Tourists Willing to Pay for a Marine Litter-Free Coastal Attraction to Achieve Tourism Sustainability? Case Study of Libong Island, Thailand

Marine litter seen through the lens: photo-identification on beaches as a strategy for coastal monitoring and management

The lack of coastal management leads to economic, social, and environmental problems. In this study, beaches in two municipalities, Laguna and Passo de Torres, located in southern Brazil, were monitored for the presence of marine litter through photographic records. Both beaches experience tourism and fishing activities, with their intensity fluctuating seasonally. Data collection was carried out over the four seasons of the year to assess the density, categories, and spatiotemporal distribution of the debris. A total of 3239 photos were taken across all sampling periods, with the number of photographs per transect varying according to the amount of visible litter. In total, 1694 items were recorded in Passo de Torres and 3935 in Laguna, with an average density of 0.051 and 0.078 items/m2, respectively. Frequency analysis identified six dominant categories of debris per municipality, with five in common: plastic fragments, packaging, plastic bags, cigarette butts, and fishing waste. The only difference was the presence of plastic bottle caps in Laguna and rigid packaging in Passo de Torres. Plastic fragments were the most abundant category, present in all recorded images, with frequencies of occurrence higher than 50 % for both municipalities. Despite seasonal and spatial variations, both beaches were classified as "very clean" throughout the year, according to the Clean Coast Index. These results highlight the need for specific management strategies for each municipality, aiming to mitigate local pollution sources and promote coastal conservation.

Boosting beach clean-up participation through community resilience hypothetical scenarios

Engaging coastal communities in beach clean-up initiatives is crucial for the sustainability of marine ecosystems and the support of the blue economy. This study aims to examine the influence of various resilience attributes on community willingness to participate in these activities. It uses choice experiment framework to test three distinct scenarios: (1) cultural recycling education, (2) social media task force, and (3) resilience debris recovery. The study surveyed 647 valid samples from metropolitan Bali, Indonesia to assess their preferences across these scenarios. Advanced econometric models, specifically the Random Parameter Logit (RPL) and Latent Class Model (LCM), were used to analyze the data. The results indicate that integrating cultural and digital engagement strategies can significantly enhance community participation in beach clean-ups, providing a model that can be applied in various coastal regions. Each scenario improves community engagement by aligning beach clean-up efforts with broader economic and cultural dynamics.

Financial compensation for natural forest logging ban: Standard calculation based on willingness to accept

To alleviate the deteriorating environment and protect biodiversity, China has implemented a natural forest protection system, demonstrating the importance of sustainable forest management for ecological conservation and socio-economic development, including the complete cessation of commercial logging of natural forests. Financial compensation is adopted to increase farmers' enthusiasm within the commercial Logging Ban of Natural Forests framework. This study used the contingent valuation method and the Heckman two-stage model to explore farmers' willingness to participate in the Logging Ban of Natural Forests and the willingness to accept by survey data on 486 farming households. 72% of farmers are willing to join the Logging Ban of Natural Forests. Their willingness to accept is 517.95 yuan/ha per year, higher than the current state subsidy standard (225 yuan/ha per year). The key factors influencing willingness to accept include the education and degree of fragmentation of woodland and village collective willingness to accept. The age of the rural household head, the fragmentation of the forest, and the evaluation of the Logging Ban of Natural Forests policies have inhibited the increase of farmers' compensation. Farmers' assessment of the Logging Ban of Natural Forests policy only impacts the medium level of compensation. The age and the degree of forest fragmentation would affect the higher compensation amount. The results from this study suggest more financial sources and increased compensation standards are needed. The government should also strengthen ecological awareness and adopt different compensation standards for other groups to achieve sustainable forestry.