Coastal erosion threatens many sandy beaches and the ecological, economic, social and cultural amenities they provide. The problem is especially chronic in South Florida. A frequent solution for beach restoration involves sand replacement, or nourishment, but is temporary, expensive, and has usually been funded by governmental sources. However, as such agencies reduce their share and require more local funding, beach nourishment must rely on other funding sources, including beach recreationists. Our study characterized three South Florida beaches and probed visitor willingness-to-pay for beach nourishment. We found that even beaches within close proximity attract different user types. Users are amenable to higher fees if they lead to greater resource protection.

The maritime transportation system (MTS), a truly multimodal industry, is in the unique position of being able to implement technologies borrowed from other areas and combine them with innovations developed within the industry to achieve continued advancement. There is an increasing need for better environmental performance in the industry; this is generally accomplished through new or adopted technologies. Previous research has explored the independent ideas of individual technological or environmental policy achievements. The role of technology in achieving environmental policy goals in the marine shipping industry is addressed, and the efficacy of various types of environmental policy mechanisms in promoting appropriate technologies is considered. Two case studies involving the environmental impacts associated with MTS (air pollution and nonindigenous species introductions) are evaluated. These two environmental problems were initially regulated with environmental standards but have shown a potential for being addressed with more innovative policy approaches. A better understanding of how the industry creates and diffuses technologies and the manner in which various policy mechanisms promote these activities could lead to more effective long-term solutions for environmental improvements.