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Marine protected areas in Costa Rica: How do artisanal fishers respond?

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Abstract

Costa Rica is considering expanding their marine protected areas (MPAs) to conserve marine resources. Due to the importance of households’ responses to an MPA in defining the MPA’s ecological and economic outcomes, this paper uses an economic decision framework to interpret data from near-MPA household surveys to inform this policy discussion. The model and data suggest that the impact of expanding MPAs relies on levels of enforcement and on-shore wages. If larger near-shore MPAs can produce high wages through increased tourism, MPA expansions could provide ecological benefits with low burdens to communities. Due to distance costs and gear investments, however, MPAs farther off-shore may place high burdens on off-shore fishers.

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Acknowledgements

Economic support from the Swedish Agency for International Development Cooperation (SIDA) to the Environment for Development (EfD) initiative is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Economics and Environment for Development (EEfD), CATIE, Turrialba, Cartago, Costa Rica

    Róger Madrigal-Ballestero & Ariana Salas

  2. Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Economics, University of Wyoming, Bim Kendall House, 804 E Fremont St, Laramie, WY, 82072, USA

    Heidi J. Albers

  3. Department of Economics and Finance, University of Wyoming, Department 3985, 1000 E. University Avenue, Laramie, 82071, USA

    Tabaré Capitán

Authors
  1. Róger Madrigal-Ballestero
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  2. Heidi J. Albers
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  3. Tabaré Capitán
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  4. Ariana Salas
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Correspondence to Róger Madrigal-Ballestero.

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Madrigal-Ballestero, R., Albers, H.J., Capitán, T. et al. Marine protected areas in Costa Rica: How do artisanal fishers respond?. Ambio 46, 787–796 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-017-0921-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-017-0921-y

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