Economic Valuation of the Coral Reefs of Jardines de la Reina and Punta Francés National Parks, Cuba

Abstract

Coral reefs are extremely important for nature and humans. However, public and decision makers are often unaware of their importance, in part because their true value is hard to assess and seldom presented in an easily understood way. Jardines de la Reina and Punta Francés are among the most iconic coral reefs and national parks in Cuba. Their coral reefs provide many environmental goods and services, but they remain poorly understood. The objectives of this paper are to assess the updated value of two iconic Cuban coral reefs in the worldwide context, revisiting previous studies conducted in each area; and to provide a reference values and benefits for Cuban coral reefs to promote their conservation and sustainable management. Coral reef value expressed in monetary accounting units reaches up to US{\$} 34 million km−2 year−1. These figures are in the order of magnitude or above the Total Economic Value of coral reefs documented by global assessments. In the case of tourism value (up to US{\$} 312,000 km−2 year−1), this figure matches the order of magnitude of global assessments. These are relevant findings for decision making in Cuba in an economic setting that urgently demand holistic approaches to adopt actions that contribute to sustainable development and increase Cubans well-being.