Scuba diving tourism systems and sustainability: Perceptions by the scuba diving industry in two Marine Protected Areas

Abstract

The scuba diving tourism industry's sustainability is affected by various problems. •These problems were investigated by engaging scuba diving operators in two MPAs.• Relations with other elements in the Scuba Diving Tourism System were assessed.• Operators felt the potential of the scuba diving industry, yet limited support.• General and ad hoc measures to enhance the industry's sustainability were advanced.

Sustainable scuba diving tourism and resource use: Perspectives and experiences of operators in Mozambique and Italy

“…Portofino may be perceived as a case where the promotion of sustainable resource uses is not required, thanks to a variety of resources already made available to clients and staff by local municipalities. Nevertheless, scuba divers visiting the area often do so exclusively to dive, thus only coming into contact with the scuba diving operations during their stay (Lucrezi et al, 2017). Actions like throwing a cigarette butt into the sea and disposing of plastic and cans in the regular waste were observed at dive centres which, during this study, supported the importance of sustainability (S. Lucrezi pers.…”

“…Scuba diving operations revolving around two Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), one in Mozambique and one in Italy, were selected for this study (Figure 1). Past and present environmental and ecological issues associated with the marine and coastal environments at the case studies are outlined by Lucrezi et al (2017) and briefly described below. The relevant policies affecting scuba diving tourism operations at the case studies are listed in Table 1.…”

“…Recreational scuba diving has become an important component of marine and coastal tourism, where about one million people are certified annually (Dimmock & Musa, 2015;PADI, 2016). Growing demand fuelled by advances in technology, training, education, and equipment has led to the establishment of dive centres, charters, resorts, and schools; the development of extensive retail networks; the support of local economies (Townsend, 2008); the branding of many locations as scuba diving hotspots; and a sense of pride among the scuba diving community and host communities (Dimmock et al, 2013;Lucrezi et al, 2017).…”

The park never born: Outcome of a quarter of a century of inaction on the sea‐floor integrity of a proposed but not established Marine Protected Area

“…Anchoring must therefore be banned, and recreational boating regulated (Venturini et al, ). Pleasure crafts could be allowed to moor to buoys installed for this purpose, which would be especially useful for diving centres: if correctly managed, scuba‐diving tourism represents a sustainable activity that generates revenue and supports local communities (Lucrezi et al, ), and may even actively support conservation (Cerrano, Milanese, & Ponti, ). Inspections in 2016 showed that derelict fishing gear caused a severe impact on epibenthic communities, suggesting that all forms of bottom fishing must be banned and recreational fishing should be strictly regulated (Venturini, Campodonico, Cappanera, Fanciulli, & Cattaneo‐Vietti, ).…”

Consequences of the marine climate and ecosystem shift of the 1980-90s on the Ligurian Sea biodiversity (NW Mediterranean)

“…Gatti et al (2017) collated all the available information on Portofino reefs, starting from the pioneer studies of Tortonese, to build a large dataset of descriptive and semi-quantitative data, which allowed exploring the evolution of the rocky reef sessile assemblages across nearly 60 years. A major change of community composition was evidenced in the 1980-90s, under the combined effects of climate warming and increased human pressures, especially diving tourism (Lucrezi et al 2017). Some species disappeared or got rarer, many found refuge at depth, and among the newcomers there were recently introduced alien species.…”