Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39934266›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

Marine protected areas for dive tourism.

Reniel B Cabral, Katherine D Millage, Juan Mayorga, Tia Kordell, Mukta Kelkar, Alicia M Caughman, Fabio Favoretto, Anna Schuhbauer, Octavio Aburto-Oropeza, Enric Sala and 1 more

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Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Reniel B CabralCollege of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia. reniel.cabral@jcu.edu.au.
Katherine D MillageEnvironmental Markets Lab, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.
Juan MayorgaEnvironmental Markets Lab, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.
Tia KordellEnvironmental Markets Lab, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.
Mukta KelkarBren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.
Alicia M CaughmanBren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.
Fabio FavorettoCentro Para la Biodiversidad Marina y Conservación, A.C., La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico.
Anna SchuhbauerInstitute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Octavio Aburto-OropezaScripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Enric SalaPristine Seas, National Geographic Society, Washington, DC, USA.
Darcy BradleyEnvironmental Markets Lab, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.

Funding

National Geographic Pristine Seas SB170043National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program 2139319
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Marine and coastal tourism deliver economic benefits to coastal communities that far surpass those generated by fisheries, yet its potential contribution to global marine conservation remains underexamined. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) help restore biodiversity and enhance nearby fisheries, but their direct tourism benefits are not well understood. Here, we estimate the global demand for recreational scuba dive tourism, map the distribution and protection status of all marine dive sites globally, and develop a bioeconomic model to estimate the revenue gains from upgrading unprotected dive sites to fully protected MPAs. We estimate that 33.1 million scuba dives occur annually in marine environments worldwide, with 70% taking place within MPAs. However, only 15% of these MPA-affiliated dive sites are highly or fully protected. We show that designating all unprotected recreational dive sites, representing less than 1% of the global ocean, as highly or fully protected MPAs would improve fish biomass and biodiversity while generating an additional US$2 billion per year in direct tourism revenue (not including economic multipliers). Importantly, 62% of marine diving currently occurs in developing countries, underscoring the potential for dive tourism to support both marine conservation and local livelihoods in regions where such benefits are most needed.

Indexed as

Conservation of Natural ResourcesDivingTourismAnimalsBiodiversityFisheriesFishesHumansOceans and SeasRecreation

Identifiers

PMID39934266
PMCPMC11814124

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.