AZTI, Marine Research Division, Herrera Kaia Portualdea s/n, 20110 Pasaia, Spain.
AZTI, Marine Research Division, Herrera Kaia Portualdea s/n, 20110 Pasaia, Spain.
J Environ Manage. 2018 Apr 15;212:450-461. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.02.033. Epub 2018 Feb 22.
In Europe, the quality of coastal bathing waters improved considerably in the last decades, mainly due to the more demanding legislation and the adoption of water sanitation plans. In the Nerbioi estuary (North Spain), the Wastewater Treatment Plan implemented between 1990 and 2001 resulted on an abrupt decrease in microbial concentration; thus, complying with bathing waters legislation and allowing recreational activities again in the three beaches of the estuary. However, little is known about how improvements in bathing waters influences the provision of cultural ecosystem services and human well-being. A questionnaire was used to study beach users' behaviour and perceptions and compared with environmental time-series data (microbial concentration and water transparency). Most respondents perceived an improvement in bathing waters quality and linked it to the estuarine sanitation. Nerbioi beaches are important recreational areas, mainly for local visitors, and water quality improvement was found to be a critical factor for deciding to visit these beaches. Furthermore, most visitors answered that they would not return if water conditions deteriorate. Significant differences existed between beaches, with the most inner beach presenting worse environmental conditions than the other two beaches; and matching user's perceptions. Our findings highlight that water sanitation actions are important for the recovery of degraded coastal environments and for the maintenance of ecosystem services. Also, that multidisciplinary research is necessary to better comprehend the links between environmental recovery and the provision of ecosystem services.
在欧洲，由于更严格的立法和采用水卫生计划，近几十年来沿海浴场的水质得到了显著改善。在西班牙北部的内尔比奥河口，1990 年至 2001 年实施的污水处理计划导致微生物浓度急剧下降，从而符合浴场水质法规，并再次允许在河口的三个海滩上开展娱乐活动。然而，人们对改善浴场水质如何影响文化生态系统服务和人类福祉知之甚少。本研究采用问卷调查了海滩使用者的行为和认知，并与环境时间序列数据（微生物浓度和水透明度）进行了比较。大多数受访者认为浴场水质有所改善，并将其与河口卫生联系起来。内尔比奥海滩是重要的娱乐区，主要面向当地游客，水质改善被认为是决定是否前往这些海滩的关键因素。此外，大多数游客表示，如果水质恶化，他们将不会再来。三个海滩之间存在显著差异，最里面的海滩环境条件比另外两个海滩差，与使用者的认知相符。我们的研究结果表明，水卫生措施对于恢复退化的沿海环境和维持生态系统服务非常重要。此外，还需要进行多学科研究，以更好地理解环境恢复与生态系统服务提供之间的联系。
