Date of Award
2024
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Biological and Environmental Sciences (MSBES)
Department
Natural Resources Science
First Advisor
Graham Forrester
Abstract
Coral reefs provide a variety of ecosystem services to humans, but are also degrading due to human activities such as boat anchoring. Understanding why some boaters anchor on coral reef, even when environmentally-responsible alternatives are available, will lead to effective management with substantial environmental benefits. Anchoring on reef could occur intentionally, because boaters prioritize other considerations that outweigh any desire to not anchor on reef, or unintentionally, because they lack true awareness of the bottom type. We conducted structured interviews, informed by the Theory of Planned Behavior, with boaters in the British Virgin Islands to uncover the motivations and awareness underlying their anchoring behavior. Perceived awareness is rarely ground-truthed, so we also snorkeled to observe the bottom type where they anchored as a direct check of their interview response. All respondents displayed a strong aversion to anchoring on reef. The few boats we observed anchored on reef did so unintentionally due to a mismatch between their perceived and actual awareness of the bottom type. Because more anchoring leads to more unintentional anchoring on reef, using a mooring is a potential solution to this problem, so it is important to identify ways to increase the use of moorings. The decision to anchor rather than moor is multifaceted. Our results suggest that boaters who do not trust the moorings are safe to use, do not perceive moorings as easy to pre-book, and prefer less-crowded areas are more likely to anchor. By increasing the proportion of boaters using a mooring, the number of boaters anchoring would decrease, and thus the amount of anchoring on reef would decrease as well.
Recommended Citation
Caton, Caroline, "EXPLORING BOATERS’ INTENTIONS AND AWARENESS TO EXPLAIN WHY SOME ANCHOR ON CORAL REEFS" (2024). Open Access Master's Theses. Paper 2483.
https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/theses/2483