Neil LAZAROW, The Value of Waves par SurfriderEurope

Neil LAZAROW, Case study: Example of threats on… par SurfriderEurope

Talk 1: The Value of Surfing

Surfing is a major recreational and economic activity involving intimate human interaction with diverse coastal environments, and is expanding both in intensity in traditional locations, as well as in reach into new environments. This expansion involves environmental and social/cultural impacts, as well as engagement with mitigating these and the impacts of other human activities. With increasing participation and a higher value placed in surf breaks, surfers are likely to be more involved in conflicts with other users and coastal activities. This begs new approaches that may test the willingness and capacity of scientists, decision-makers, politicians and other coastal stakeholders.

In this talk, Neil provides a brief overview of economic valuation and its application to coastal planning and management. A series of surfing-specific examples from Australian and international case studies are discussed, describing how contested social and cultural values influence both decision-making processes and community resilience.

At the conclusion of this talk the audience will have a better understanding of how we might think about valuing surfing (e.g. reasons for surfing and preferences, how many people surf and where do they go, the value of recreational surfing, pro surfing, artificial reefs and surf tourism), the advantages and disadvantages of valuation studies and some of the challenges involved in articulating accurate estimates of the economic impact and value of surfing.

Talk 2: Threats to Waves and Protection Strategies

What are the threats to waves and surf breaks? What strategies are available to protect or possibly enhance surf breaks and which are the most effective? In this