Understanding the Social and Economic Values of Key Marine Species in the Great Barrier Reef: MTSRF Project 4.8.6(a) Final Report, June 2010 with a section focusing on marine turtles

Abstract

The research reported in this document was conducted by a group of researchers within the Marine and Tropical Sciences Research Facility (MTSRF) Program 8 (led by Dr Colin Simpfendorfer), under Project 4.8.6 (led by Professor Bruce Prideaux).

The specific task addressed by this group's activities relate to Research Task 4.8.6 (a): To identify relative social and economic values of key marine species, including large fish around tourist facilities.

This report constitutes the Final Report of that research task, and also includes a section dedicated to the socio-economic values of marine turtles in relation to scuba diving tourism in the Far Northern Section of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (Section 6). The following sub-sections of this introduction provide a brief overview of the methodological approaches used to meet the goals of the project, with more specific details provided in the main body.