anassessmentoftheeconomicbenefitsassociatedwith（anassessmentoftheeconomicbenefitsassociatedwith）（30页）.docVIP

An economic assessment of the amenity benefits associated with alternative coastal defence options. Abstract Current government guidelines for the appraisal of coastal defence projects in the UK do not require that non-market amenity benefits to be considered. However, a new option in coastal defence, namely multi-purpose reefs, provides an opportunity to integrate coastal defence with significant amenity provision. This paper reports the findings of a choice experiment study that evaluated the amenity benefits of four alternative coastal defence systems currently being considered for Borth in west Wales. The results indicate that traditional coastal defence options such as timber and rock groynes do not generate amenity benefits, while a multi-purpose reef would generate significant benefits in terms of improvements in the visual appeal of the beach, safer swimming opportunities and improved surfing conditions. Importantly, these benefits were found to be significant for all members of the local community and not just surfers. Based on our findings, we recommend that guidelines for the appraisal of coastal defence projects should be amended to incorporate non-market amenity benefits. Key words: Choice experiment, amenity benefits, coastal defence, multi-purpose reef JEL: Q26, Q51, Q58 Word count: 8300 Introduction The protection of coastal land and communities from the onslaught of the sea is a major concern throughout the world. Climate change and the predicted rises in sea levels are likely to further exacerbate these concerns in the future. In England and Wales, it has been estimated that over one million properties (valued at over ￡130 billion) are at risk from coastal flooding and a further 113,000 properties (￡7.7 billion) are at risk from coastal erosion (Defra, 2001). In a fifty year forecast, the same report estimates that, if nothing is done to maintain and improve existing coastal defence systems, damages to property from coastal flooding will cost o