Costs and Benefits of Protected Areas: Understanding User Perceptions for More Balanced Territorial Management
Environmental perception, biocultural conservation, protected areas, Costa dos Corais Environmental Protection Area
The creation and maintenance of Protected Areas (PAs) are essential for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. However, these areas face conflicts between environmental conservation and the demands for resource use by different user profiles, such as local residents, tourists, and entrepreneurs. Perceptions of the costs and benefits of PAs may vary according to socioeconomic profiles and usage experiences. For example, people with higher incomes tend to perceive more benefits, while vulnerable communities may perceive more costs due to usage restrictions. In this study, we aim to answer the following scientific question: Do perceptions of costs and benefits vary according to the socioeconomic profiles and usage experiences of a Protected Area? To answer this question, we focus on the Marine Protected Area (MPA) "Área de Proteção Ambiental Costa dos Corais" (APACC), located in the state of Alagoas, Brazil. We assume two hypotheses: i) Users of the Protected Area with more vulnerable socioeconomic profiles attribute greater weight to the costs than to the benefits of the Protected Area; ii) Users with recreational use experiences attribute greater weight to the benefits of the Protected Area.