Securing sustainable tourism in marine protected areas: lessons from an assessment of scuba divers' underwater behaviour in non-tropical environments

Non-tropical marine protected areas (MPAs) are likely to experience growing demand from scuba diving tourism, given the pressures on their tropical counterparts. The vulnerability of non-tropical MPAs to the impacts of diving tourism calls for monitoring and sustainable management of diving activities to ensure conservation. This study contributes to an assessment of scuba diving tourism in non-tropical MPAs. Scuba divers' contact behaviour towards substrates and wildlife was evaluated at a temperate MPA in northern Italy and a subtropical MPA in southern Mozambique. A total of 380 scuba divers were observed underwater. Contact behaviour was measured against key characteristics with a post-dive questionnaire survey. Contact rates were 0.13 min(-1) for Italy and 0.59 min(-1) for Mozambique. Most contacts were deliberate, with turf or soft sediment, and had no visible effect. The results from the survey revealed that diving experience and attitudes are related to contact behaviour and that divers may underestimate the potential effects of certain contact types. The findings were used to develop a management framework to promote proper underwater conduct by scuba divers and maintain diving tourism as a sustainable activity in non-tropical MPAs.

Automated summary

This study assessed scuba diving tourism in non-tropical marine protected areas, focusing on contact behavior of divers towards substrates and wildlife. The results showed that diving experience and attitudes are associated with contact behavior, and divers may underestimate the potential effects of certain types of contact. The findings were used to develop a management framework to promote proper underwater conduct and maintain sustainable diving tourism in non-tropical MPAs.