The Recreational Value of Cley Marshes Nature Reserve: An Argument Against Managed Retreat?

• Published in: Journal (Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management) Vol. 12; no. 4; pp. 280 - 285
• Main Authors: Klein, R. J. T., Bateman, I. J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.08.1998; Terence Dalton
• Subjects: Cley Marshes; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics; Exact sciences and technology; managed retreat; Pollution, environment geology; shoreline management; England; United Kingdom; Norfolk England; East Anglia; Great Britain; Western Europe; marshes; shorelines; environment protection; Europe; regression analysis
• ISSN: 1360-4015
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1747-6593.1998.tb00186.x

In the shoreline management plan for the coast of North Norfolk (England), managed retreat has been identified as the most preferable option for the Cley Marshes nature reserve. In general, arguments in favour of managed retreat are (i) opportunities for nature restoration and development, (ii) economic efficiency, and (iii) enhanced resilience to environmental stress and shock. However, with respect to the Cley reserve, recent floods have shown that increased salinity is likely to decrease its natural value, while this study shows that the economic‐efficiency criterion is not valid either. This paper discusses the application of contingent valuation and travel‐cost methods on data collected by interviews of 160 visitors to the reserve, which has provided estimates of the annual recreational value of the site.