Environmental Conservation 27 (4): 382���391 �� 2000 Foundation for Environmental Conservation Summary Tropical marine protected areas (MPAs) may promote conditions that are attractive to dive tourists, but a systematic basis for assessing their effectiveness in this regard is currently lacking. We therefore inter- viewed 195 dive tourists in Jamaica to determine which reef attributes they most preferred to see on dives. Attributes relating to fishes and other large animals (���big fishes���, ���other large animals���, ���variety of fishes���, ���abundance of fishes���, and ���unusual fishes���) were more appreciated than those relating to reef structure and benthos (���reef structure e.g., drop-offs���, ���variety of corals���, ���large corals���, ���coral cover���, ���unusual corals���, ���sponges���, ���unusual algae���, ���lobsters, crabs etc.���). We then surveyed reef condition with regard to those aspects (abundance and variety of fishes, number of ���unusual���, and number of ���large��� fish) at four Caribbean MPAs and reference areas. In two cases, Hol Chan Marine Reserve in Belize and Parque Nacional Punta Frances in Cuba, these fish attributes were more pronounced in the MPAs than in the refer- ence areas. Differences between the Montego Bay Marine Park in Jamaica (MBMP) and adjacent refer- ence areas were mainly restricted to shallow sites ( 6m), while at Grand Cayman no differences between fully protected and partially protected areas were detected. Management had not been fully effec- tive in the MBMP in the preceding months, while fishing pressure in the partially protected areas on Grand Cayman was very light. We conclude that, if fishing restrictions are well enforced, western Caribbean MPAs can be expected to be effective in ways appreciated by dive tourists. Keywords: conservation, fishes, management, reefs, divers, tourism, marine parks Introduction Globally, purposes of marine protected areas (MPAs) are varied ( Jones 1994), but in the Caribbean the most wide- spread benefit appears to be derived from tourism (Dixon et al. 1995). Tourism contributes very substantially to the economies of many of the island countries concerned (Blommenstein 1985) and diving may locally be an important contributor to that income (Dixon et al. 1995). In spite of this, there appears to have been little consideration to date, for the Caribbean or further afield, of whether MPAs really are beneficial in ways relevant to the dive-tourism industry. It seems likely that the build up of fish populations within effectively managed MPAs (Polunin & Roberts 1993 McClanahan 1994 Jennings et al. 1996 McClanahan & Kaunda-Arara 1996 Rakitin & Kramer 1996 Russ & Alcala 1996 Wantiez et al. 1997) would make such areas more attractive to dive tourists, but few previous studies have investigated which aspects of reef condition are most preferred by dive tourists. Therefore, there is, as yet, no systematic basis for assessing how effective MPAs are in this regard. The aims of this study were to determine which attributes of coral reefs are most important to dive tourists, and then to assess whether reef condition within four Caribbean MPAs (at Montego Bay, Jamaica Ambergris Caye, Belize Isle of Youth, Cuba and Grand Cayman) differed from unprotected or less-protected references areas with respect to those attri- butes. Methods Diver preference survey The preferences of divers for reef attributes were surveyed using questionnaires distributed to tourist divers in Negril and Montego Bay, Jamaica. Divers were selected haphazardly from those disembarking from boats after dive trips and asked to complete the questionnaire. In total, ten dive opera- tors were visited between March and April 1997, and 195 completed questionnaires were returned to us. The principal question was ���what are the features of the marine environ- ment which you most prefer to see on a dive?���. Respondents were asked to rank each of 14 attributes: ���reef structure, e.g. drop-offs��� ���big fishes��� ���other large animals��� ���variety of fishes��� ���abundance of fishes��� ���variety of corals��� ���large corals��� ���coral cover��� ���unusual fishes��� ���unusual corals��� ���sponges��� ���unusual algae��� ���lobsters crabs, etc.��� ���other���) on a scale from 0 (not at all important) to 5 (most preferred). We also asked dive tourists to rate the diving locality for each of the reef attributes on the same point scale (0 lowest, 5 highest). Differences between protected and unprotected reefs of the western Caribbean in attributes preferred by dive tourists IVOR D. WILLIAMS & NICHOLAS V.C. POLUNIN* Department of Marine Sciences and Coastal Management, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK Date submitted : 1 March 2000 Date accepted : 19 June 2000 * Correspondence: Dr Nicholas Polunin Tel: 44 191 222 6675 Fax: 44 (0) 191 222 7891 e-mail: n.polunin@ncl.ac.uk

Caribbean MPAs and diver preferences 383 Study areas Between April 1997 and April 1998, after completion and analysis of the diver preference survey, we surveyed coral reef condition in MPAs and reference areas at four locations in the Caribbean: Montego Bay, Jamaica (Montego Bay Marine Park) Ambergris Caye, Belize (Hol Chan Marine Reserve) Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands (protected areas on the west coast) and the Isle of Youth, Cuba (Parque Nacional Punta Frances) (Table 1, Fig. 1). Depending on the number and size of protected areas, and the presence of suit- able areas for comparison, between two and four reef areas were surveyed at each location, each ���reef area��� consisting of a stretch of approximately 2 km of reef front. As far as was possible, reference areas were chosen that were close to the MPA, and ideally from the same continuous stretch of reef. Each area was sampled by dividing the reef into equal length sections of 125���150 m and randomly selecting five or six sections as survey sites. Gently sloping or flat sections of reef were selected in all cases. Surveys were conducted on ���deep��� forereef sites (depth 12���15 m) at all locations, and also on ���shallow��� reefs at Montego Bay (fringing reefs, depth 6 m) and at Ambergris Caye (behind reef crest, depth 2 m), the only locations with suitable reef habitat in shallow water. The Hol Chan Marine Reserve lies at the southern tip of Ambergris Caye, Belize, and includes approximately 1.8 km of reef-front which has been closed to fishing since 1987. The Reserve is centred on a deep channel through the reef known as the Hol Chan Cut the three unprotected areas were there- fore also centred around cuts in the same reef (Polunin & Roberts 1993), namely the northern Caye Caulker Cut (the closest cut south of Hol Chan, 6 km from Hol Chan Cut), and the two closest cuts north of Hol Chan, one in front of San Pedro Town (4 km north of Hol Chan) and the other, Mexico Rocks/Mata Cut, another 8km further north. Violations of the no-fishing rule within the MPA were believed to be rare (Miguel Alamilla, Hol Chan Marine Reserve manager, personal communication September 1997), partly because a ranger was always present in the Reserve between 0900 and 1700 hr to collect park-use fees, but also because of strong local support for the Reserve. The entire western end of Grand Cayman, consisting of more than 15 km of continuous coastline and associated reefs, falls within the Cayman Islands marine park system. It is Table 1 Summary of survey locations. Survey areas within MPAs are labelled with a ���P��� and unprotected, or less-protected, reference areas with a ���U���. Location Survey period Reef Shallow areas Deep areas Position Montego Bay, Jamaica 4/97 Montego Bay MR P P 77 56.0��� W, 18 29.6���N Airport Reef U U 77 55.4��� W, 18 30.3���N Ambergris Caye, Belize 9/97 Hol Chan MR P P 87 58.6��� W, 17 52.1���N San Pedro Cut U1 U1 87 56.5��� W, 17 56.1���N Mata Cut U2 87 54.9��� W, 17 58.6���N Mexico Rocks Cut U2 87 54.1��� W, 17 59.7���N Caye Caulker Cut U3 87 59.3��� W, 17 48.4���N Grand Cayman, 10/97 ���Protected��� zones P1 81 23.4��� W, 19 20.3���N Cayman Islands P2 81 24.1��� W, 19 21.8���N ���Replenishment��� zones U1 81 23.7��� W, 19 21.5���N U2 81 23.5��� W, 19 18.7���N Isle of Youth, Cuba 4/98 Punta Frances MR P1 83 10.4��� W, 21 36.4���N P2 83 09.7��� W, 21 35.3���N Punta del Este U1 82 31.5��� W, 21 32.8���N U2 82 35.8��� W, 21 31.2���N a d c b Caribbean a. Ambergris b. Isle of Youth c. Grand Cayman d. Montego Bay Punta Frances Hol Chan 20 km 2 km 10 km 20 km Figure 1 Study locations, circles indicate the study areas. MPAs are represented by open circles (o), and fished areas by closed circles (���). North is indicated in each map by a bold arrow.