Assessing the value of the coast for human well-being: a case study from Plymouth (Devon, UK)

Human well-being is becoming an integral part of international, regional and national policies to better protect marine and coastal environments and their benefits. Despite this, there is still a limited understanding of how... [ view full abstract ]

Human well-being is becoming an integral part of international, regional and national policies to better protect marine and coastal environments and their benefits. Despite this, there is still a limited understanding of how to evaluate the impact of marine and coastal interventions (e.g. physical coastal improvements and marine conservation) on well-being. The current research assesses the impact of a coastal renovation project (Teat’s Hill, Plymouth, UK) on the well-being of local residents. The Teat’s Hill renovation is a collaborative project which brings together local government and a range of stakeholders, to improve access, facilities and environmental quality of the coastal site. Well-being was assessed before and after the renovation using two non-market valuation methods: (i) a novel approach which relies on psychological states and ‘ex-post’ experiences, the Life Satisfaction Approach and (ii) a more traditional and frequently used preference-based (‘ex-ante’) method, the Contingent Valuation Method.  First, the talk will present the findings of the Contingent Valuation study (n=314), which explored the well-being that individuals anticipate they will receive from the coastal renovation. Second, it will provide an overview of the Life Satisfaction Approach, and how together the approaches may help to provide more accurate and robust estimates of marine goods and services. This research: (1) advances our understanding of the well-being benefits of marine and coastal environments, (2) provides evidence for local government, aiding policy-making and planning for coastal spaces and (3) makes steps towards developing an approach upon which to base future policy evaluations.