Risk-based analysis of recreational ecosystem services supply and demand in beach areas of the Adriatic Sea

Abstract

Beaches are important suppliers of recreational services to human beings, through bathing water resources, marine biodiversity and scenic values of coastal seascapes. This study presents a conceptual model for risk-based analysis of multiple anthropogenic stressors (e.g. nutrient load, marine litter, pollutants or pathogens) on recreational ecosystem services supply-demand patterns in beaches for seven regions of the Italian Adriatic Sea. Results of the supply-demand analysis show that the beaches in Puglia region have highest recreational supply, while demand for coastal recreation is highest in the beaches of Emilia-Romagna region, which is a region prone to mass recreational activities. Based on the supply-demand analysis we performed a risk assessment on recreational ecosystem services provision by analysing the exposure of beaches ecosystems to multiple stressors generated by different maritime (e.g. shipping, aquaculture) and land-based activities (e.g. agriculture). Beaches of the Northern Adriatic region suffer from high exposure to pollutants due to port activities, aquaculture industry, shipping, and riverine discharge. The presented study advances knowledge on the integration of ecosystem-services-based recreational supply-demand analysis in coastal areas and discusses its application potentials for sustainable management of coastal resources and the investigation of tourism flow to coastal recreational areas for large geospatial settings.