Recreation Management in Venice lagoon

Abstract: The Venice lagoon is the largest one in the Mediterranean sea (550 km2). It is a relevant site for both professional fishing and recreation (fishing and boating). The paper estimates the recreational and sport-fishing demand using the contingent valuation method. A stratified sample-based survey has been made in order to a) quantify and describe the visitors, b) estimate the demand function of homogeneous recreational users’ subgroups, c) estimate the total annual recreational use value of the lagoon, d) simulate potential financing by users aimed to improve conservation management. Main results are: a) the survey has shown that around 13,000 users per year can be estimated (71% boating, and 29% fishing); the average number of annual visits per user is 5.4, b) the demand functions resulting from contingent valuation have been estimated, c) the total recreational surplus differs significantly both between fishing and boating users, and between users living in Venice (25%) and in the mainland (75%), d) the simulations of management policies financing conservation measures have been evaluated from the viewpoint of the users’ welfare. Different users’ charges have been considered. For example, a €31 annual entrance fee could be charged on mainland recreational users without reducing the total visitors’ number. However, management policies have to take into account redistributional effects and access rights of residents in Venice.