Economic impact of human-induced shrinkage of Posidonia oceanica meadows on coastal fisheries in the Gabes Gulf (Tunisia, Southern Mediterranean Sea)

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN

卷:155

Article

El Zrelli, Radhouan^1,3  Rabaoui, Lotfi²  Roa-Ureta, Ruben H.²  Gallai, Nicola⁴  Castet, Sylvie¹  Gregoire, Michel¹  Bejaoui, Nejla³  Courjault-Rade, Pierre¹ 

[1] Univ Toulouse, Geosci Environm Toulouse GET, UMR CNRS UPS IRD CNES 5563, 14 Ave Edouard Belin, F-31400 Toulouse, France

[2] King Fahd Univ Petr & Minerals, Ctr Environm & Water, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

[3] Univ Carthage, Inst Natl Agron Tunis INAT, 43 Ave Charles Nicolle, Tunis Maharajene 1082, Tunisia

[4] Univ Fed Toulouse Midipyrenees, ENFA, LEREPS, F-31042 Toulouse, France

关键词: Gabes Gulf;    Posidonia oceanica;    Ecosystem services;    Coastal fisheries;    Economic valuation;    Phosphogypsum;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111124

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

In early XXth century, the Gulf of Gabes (SE Tunisia) used to host the most extended Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds in the Mediterranean Sea, and a highly productive hotspot of benthic/demersal biodiversity. Sponge harvesting and seabed trawling provoked a first step of seagrass degradation. Subsequently, phosphogypsum releases from Gabes Industrial Complex, since mid-1970s, accelerated the decline of the remaining patches. A sharp reduction of coastal fisheries landings took place with the establishment of the last industrial plant units in 1985. The decrease in coastal commercial species landings was found to be directly correlated with P. oceanica decline. The trophic web system switched from a 'benthic-dominated' to a 'pelagic-dominated' system. The economic loss related to coastal fisheries was estimated at similar to 60 million (sic) in 2014 and the 1990-2014 cumulated loss exceeded 750 million (sic). This first economic valuation of the only direct-use consumptive value of the coastal fishing service provided by P. oceanica in Gabes Gulf is a first step towards the assessment of the environmental cost of the negative externalities caused by the local phosphate industry. It may be used as a preliminary decision-making aid to consider alternative industrial solutions.

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