A Comparison of Visitors and Residents On Motivations for Visiting North Carolina Recreational Beaches
This 2003 study uses a survey method to gauge visitor preferences for specific physical, social, and managerial attributes of various beach areas along the North Carolina coast. Information obtained from this research is useful to on-site beach managers to obtain an understanding of varying user preferences and how to best meet the needs of their recreational user population.

Analyzing the Cost and Benefits of Human Activities for Indonesian Coral Reefs
The methods of cost-benefit analysis and predictive modeling were used by the Coral Reef Rehabilitation and Management Project (COREMAP) to determine and quantify the threats causing depletion of coral reefs in Indonesia. The results indicated that immediate actions need to be taken by the government to stop the depletion.

Combining Science and Technology in the Tortugas Ecological Reserve, Florida
This study uses social impact assessment and geographic information system (GIS) technology to collect and analyze socioeconomic data from commercial fishermen to develop the Tortugas Ecological Reserve within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

Entrance Fees for Marine Sanctuaries in the Philippines
This study uses comparative research and a survey to determine how much dive tourists would be willing to pay to dive in areas where fishing was prohibited to fund the enforcement of three marines reserves in the Philippines.

Forested Areas and a Sense of Place: Comparing the Perceptions of Compact and Metropolitan Urban Populations.
This research project grows out of a belief that, in order for citizens to care about the status of forested areas in the United States, people need to value the range of resources trees provide society. Our study illustrates the extent to which forested areas represent significant and salient components in urbanites’ descriptions of where they live, what activities they engage in, and what their preferences are for valued lifestyles. The study compares interview and psychometric data generated by youths, professional/trade personnel, and elderly residents located in a reasonably small community on the shore of Lake Superior and a similarly sized town in the Chicago metropolitan area. Through the use of established techniques, dominant and shared themes characterizing respondents’ “sense of place” are extracted from their qualitative responses to structured interview schedules; subsequently, these themes are compared with scaled responses to survey questions tapping into the respondents’ affinity for and activities in a variety of built and natural environments. Results indicate that although there are fifteen themes under girding interview responses, a few of which deal with the presence of trees and forests, forested environments do not seem to be salient markers in individuals’ perceptions of where they live. Furthermore, only a few thematic categories, activities, and settings dealing with social and economic concerns distinguish between the two communities.

Identifying Communication Networks among Fishermen in North Carolina
This study uses social network analysis and interviewing to determine the most influential or key individuals within the fishing community of North Carolina. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council sponsored research done on charter, commercial, and recreational king mackerel fishermen in efforts to improve communication between fishermen and the council.

Involving the Community in Decision Making in Folkestone Marine Reserve, Barbados
This study uses focus groups and case study research involving stakeholder representatives to revise the four zones and management system within the Folkestone Park and Marine Reserve on the west coast of Barbados.

Louisiana Recovery Planning Day
This project used survey methods to identify long-term recovery needs of Louisiana communities impacted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. It provides an example of how an in person survey can be conducted in a public meeting setting. This project allowed organizers to gather extensive input from Louisiana citizens to inform the recovery planning efforts of local, state, and federal entities.

MPA Perceptions by Small-Scale Fishermen in Sicily, Italy
This study uses survey research, demographic analysis, and secondary data analysis to determine the effectiveness of management practices and regulations in teo reserves in northwestern Sicily. Results of the research revealed that better management practices would be needed for more effective reserves.

Paying for Seagrass Restoration in the Florida Keys
This study uses habitat equivalency analysis (HEA) and nonmarket valuation to determine the restoration costs, as well as the size of the area, treasure hunters needed to pay for damaging seagrass within Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

Phase I Lake Superior Community Awareness, Review, & Development Project (CARD): United States Communities.
This report summarizes the results of the Phase I Community Awareness Review and Development (CARD) project sponsored by the Lake Superior Binational Program. The intent of the project was to survey knowledge and awareness of issues relevant to the Lake Superior Binational Program (especially the Lakewide Management Plan or LaMP) in order to foster improved decision-making within the Lake Superior basin. Most of those surveyed cited economic concerns as most pressing and environmental concerns as least pressing. When they did focus on environmental issues, the largest percentage of responses indicated respondents were mostly concerned with watershed-related issues (and, to a lesser extent, land-use practices) at a personal, community, state, and lake Superior basin-wide level. Significant numbers of respondents reported little or no knowledge of key LaMP issues, though in only a few instances did a plurality of respondents indicate a lack of concern for the issues of interest to the program. Given these findings, we can assume that future community-based social marketing approaches to educate and persuade citizens in the Lake Superior basin may be modestly successful. At that time, agencies will want to (a) focus on the areas of water, land use, and economics, (b) tailor campaigns to particular community interests, and (c) demonstrate how threats may be averted and economic opportunities capitalized upon in a way that is convenient, efficacious, and economical.

Rapid Evaluation of Proposed Marine Conservation District in St. John, US Virgin Islands
This study uses rapid socioeconomic evaluation, content analysis, observation, and secondary data to determine the possibility of establishing a marine conservation district (MCD) south of St. John Island in the U.S. Virgin Islands. This preliminary research gained many recommendations from commercial fishermen and recreational dive organizations concerning the establishment of an MCD

Stakeholder Participation in Socioeconomic Analysis of Restoring the Deschutes Estuary
This case study presents an innovative approach to involving stakeholders in restoration of coastal resources. State resource managers conducted focus groups and broader public meetings to gain insight on the social and economic benefits that should be included in a net benefits analysis of restoring the Deschutes Estuary in downtown Olympia, Washington. The stakeholder input was then delivered to professional economists who conducted the net benefits analysis (NBA). This project demonstrates how social science methods such as focus groups can be used to provide the foundation for socioeconomic analyses of coastal resources.

The Importance of Communication in the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, Washington
This study uses survey research and observation conducted by the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary to create educational materials informing stakeholders and shipping companies of the risks to natural and cultural resources from oil spills. These methods were successful in obtaining a 90 to 95 percent compliance rate

Understanding Coral Reef Use: Anglers, Divers, and Snorkelers in the Florida Keys
To complement ongoing biophysical data collection regarding the resilience of coral reefs in Florida, the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Human Dimensions of Marine and Coastal Ecosystems Program began a project entitled Understanding Coral Reef Use: Anglers, Divers, and Snorkelers in the Florida Keys for the Florida Reef Resilience Program (FRRP) in May 2006.

Using Ethnography to Document Traditional Practices in Kadavu, Fiji
This study uses ethnography, historical research, and demographic analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of different management practices for marine fisheries in Fiji. The research found many results concerning community-based marine protected area management.

Willingness to Pay in Rocky Intertidal Ecosystems in Orange County, California
This study uses contingent valuation methods to determine visitor’s willingness to pay (WTP) for sandy beaches or rocky habitats of Orange County, California, to reduce habitat disturbance. This study shows how economic methods such as contingent valuation can be applied to justify the need to mitigate natural resources or enforce natural resource laws and regulations.