Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Achziv marine reserve expansion considering the Barcelona Convention and the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive

In this paper we present a Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) of the Achziv Rocky reefs marine protected area (MPA) in Israel as a case study following the implementation of the international Barcelona Convention.The Marine Strategy Framework Directive requires that Member States and affiliates members achieve “Good Environmental Status” (GES) of marine ecosystems by 2020 including improvement of Marine Protected Area (MPA) networks in EU marine waters.EU guidance documents recommend using economic valuation and CBA to support environmental decision-making. We therefore propose the application of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) requirements in Israel, and its methodology as marine conservation guidelines by the year 2020.We reveal constraints of the Cost-Benefit-Analysis (CBA), appraising the Ecosystem Services Approach (ESA) and we show the relevance of MPA's economic analysis.We analyze these challenges with respect to Israel, an affiliate MSFD country that has not yet carried such CBA on MPAs. In this case study, we compare the current MPA situation with the expected positive outcome of MPA expansion.Our analysis shows that benefits from a marine reserve and its associated ecosystem services can largely exceed their protection costs, which should entice other organizations, from regional to governments, to follow MPA protection recommendations.