Project 10.2 Factsheet: Socio-economic systems and reef resilience

The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is famous for its spectacular coral, rich biodiversity and natural beauty. However, none of these important assets are bought or sold in the marketplace, so none are explicitly ‘valued’ with a price. Recognising that absence of price does not mean absence of value, this project seeks to improve our understanding of these non-market ‘values’ to a variety of different stakeholders. How important are pristine beaches, iconic marine mammals or healthy coral reefs to the community, tourists and the tourism industry? How would people feel if some of these ‘values’ were degraded (e.g. if water clarity declined, or if fish were less abundant)?