As an increasing number of SCUBA divers impact coral reef resources, managers are faced with the need to take action to reduce or eliminate the problem. The aim of this project is to help decision makers understand SCUBA diver preferences for protecting coral resources, how divers decide between management measures, and which combinations of management measures would have the most overall support in the sport diver community. The study’s objectives are to (1) identify realistic management measures for protecting coral resources salient to SCUBA divers, (2) evaluate the relative importance of each measure to divers, (3) estimate the importance of options for each management measure, (4) estimate the aggregate importance of management scenarios based on various combinations of the management measures, and (5) examine the potential for using stated preference discrete choice models (SPDCMs) in support of coral reef management and conservation in other MPAs. We are studying SCUBA divers who utilize a variety of diving locations using a stated preference discrete choice model. Traditional research designs for evaluating management preferences ask respondents to indicate the extent to which they prefer each individual management option. This can result in a lack of understanding of the relative importance of one attribute to another and as a result provides little insight to participants’ actual management preferences. Stated preference discrete choice models are based on the assumption that complex decisions are based not on one factor or criterion but on several factors considered jointly and make use of hypothetical scenarios to derive recreationists’ preferences This research project is being conducted using a community-based context. We met with a group of stakeholders from the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) to better understand the potential SCUBA diving impacts on coral resources and the various management alternatives available for dealing with the impacts. From this, salient issues and management attributes and levels were identified and an appropriate survey instrument developed and pretested on divers. Management of marine protected areas (MPAs) and coral reefs is moving toward a new paradigm in which the greatest challenges faced involve the management of people as well as resources. This will require a much greater understanding of people, their use of MPA resources, and their support for various management alternatives. An understanding of the relationship between people and MPAs is essential for both protecting resources in an unimpaired state for future generations and providing recreational opportunities for present generations. This project is titled “Using Stated Preference Choice Experiments to Analyze SCUBA Diver Preferences for Coral Reef Conservation” and has been funded by the Coral Reef Management Program of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in Washington, D.C. with additional funding support from the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Texas A&M University System. The project began on January 1, 2004 and will conclude on December 31, 2004. Dr. Robert B. Ditton (r-ditton@tamu.edu) is the Principal Investigator for this project and Michael Sorice (m-sorice@tamu.edu) is the Research Assistant. Both are affiliated with the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences at Texas A&M University, College Station, TX. Links: The preliminary results from this study were presented at the 57th Annual Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute conference in St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.A.      Download the modified PowerPoint presentation here      Download the conference proceeding paper here.  (Adobe acrobat file)