The economic role of sharks in a major ecotourism archipelago in the western South Atlantic

Abstract

Using environmental resources to recreational purposes are likely to provide significant economic benefits to many levels of human societies. Here, recreational uses of one of the main dive destinations in the western south Atlantic (Fernando de Noronha Archipelago) were estimated at three different scales: the entire archipelago (through travel cost method), the marine resources (through diving) and sharks (through shark diving). The total recreational use of the archipelago was estimated at $90.2 million USD annually. Divers are responsible for $36.4 million USD out of the total value of all services produced for tourists. Sharks provide 4% of the total economic benefit within the tourism industry ($2.64 million USD). The distance from the archipelago, income and length of stay are predictors for tourists’ daily expenses. Even though sharks do not represent a tourism target for the archipelago at this point, shark diving earned higher amounts than the sum acquired by well-established industries at other sites. In addition, 23% of tourists interviewed become interested in shark diving after they arrive, demonstrating that this activity carries the potential to expand in the archipelago. However, if shark diving is to be encouraged, this development has to be approached cautiously, to maintain the standards required locally to other marine fauna ecotourism, and without use of bait to avoid potential negative effects of supplemental feeding.