Economic Valuation of Landscape in Marinas: Application to a Marina in Spanish Southern Mediterranean Coast (Granada, Spain)
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Dear colleagues,
the research topic is interesting and useful. The methods you use are acceptable, but this paper/research does not have the characteristics of a scientific paper/research, which is a great pity. Therefore, I suggest that you refine it in the following way, which will affect that the paper is really a good research paper:
1. In the introduction, you should state the goal of this research and define the hypothesis according to the goal. Without a goal and a hypothesis, the paper cannot be a scientific work.
2. At the end of the paper/research, you should clearly explain what result you reached and how you confirmed or rejected the hypothesis.
3. As you state at the end of the conclusion " In order to increase the value of the landscape in marinas, the first step consists of improving the port's landscape aspects, promoting knowledge of the port's surroundings, and promoting knowledge of the port's immediate surroundings, favoring accessibility and environmental improvement. However, it is also necessary to act on other aspects to promote non-use values. Implementing environmental plans, incorporating sustainability criteria in marina management, applying stable environmental policies, and sustainable urban development plans are examples of how to increase this value.", you highlight the improvement of the landscape, which affects the value of the port and the destination, and this is a good factor that you are investigating. In the domain of management, you list environmental plans, sustainable development policies and others, and all this is part of environmental management and is also important for marina management. However, your explanations are too general and vague without the other elements of management, namely controlling, leading and organizing. Without that, your explanations of environmental management and marinas are flawed. So work it up.
In conclusion, I don't think it's about major modifications and refinements, but without that this is not a scientific paper, and it's a shame that this research is not scientific because it is interesting.
Author Response
Point A1. The research topic is interesting and useful. The methods you use are acceptable, but this paper/research does not have the characteristics of a scientific paper/research, which is a great pity.
The authors wish to thank the reviewer for his/her effort in providing a detailed and timely review of this paper. In response to the reviewer's comment, the text has been modified to improve the clarity of the content and adapt it to the suggested improvements. The introduction has been rewritten to clearly highlight the main contribution of the study and what makes it unique from others.
The text now read (section 1, page 3): “In the case of marinas, the landscape is not the only one responsible for the activities developed. Within the profit and loss account, the contribution originated by the landscape represents a percentage of the total activities carried out in the marina. The novelty of this study is providing an alternative AMUVAN methodology to be applied in cases where it is impossible to establish the economic value of the exploitation of the environmental asset. This valuation represents an effort to improve the marina's management by providing tools that allow marina managers: (1) to establish the importance of landscape within port management and (2) to quantify the marina landscape as a reflection of its social value. The assumption that the landscape represents an essential asset for the port can be translated into an economic quantification. It embodies a tangible input into management decision-making. It is up to the decision-makers to be aware of the totality of the objectives and the constraint of valuation.
“The following sections present the case study (Marina del Este, located in La Herradura, Granada, Spain), the theoretical framework, and the methodology used for the valuation. It also includes how to identify valuable elements of the marina landscape. The results obtained are analyzed. Finally, the discussion and conclusion examine the components of landscape providing guidelines to improve its economic value. For a better understanding, Appendix A displays research data not shown to make the study concise and easier to read”
Point A2. At the end of the paper/research, you should clearly explain what result you reached and how you confirmed or rejected the hypothesis.
After reviewing the text, the authors agree with the reviewer that it would be necessary to highlight the results obtained in the research. In line with the introduction, the conclusion, which sets out the objectives, describes the goals achieved and the weaknesses encountered.
Point A3. As you state at the end of the conclusion "In order to increase the value of the landscape in marinas, the first step consists of improving the port's landscape aspects, promoting knowledge of the port's surroundings, and promoting knowledge of the port's immediate surroundings, favoring accessibility and environmental improvement. However, it is also necessary to act on other aspects to promote non-use values. Implementing environmental plans, incorporating sustainability criteria in marina management, applying stable environmental policies, and sustainable urban development plans are examples of how to increase this value.", you highlight the improvement of the landscape, which affects the value of the port and the destination, and this is a good factor that you are investigating. In the domain of management, you list environmental plans, sustainable development policies and others, and all this is part of environmental management and is also important for marina management. However, your explanations are too general and vague without the other elements of management, namely controlling, leading and organizing. Without that, your explanations of environmental management and marinas are flawed. So work it up.
We appreciate the reviewer's advice in this matter. As the reviser rightly points out, management involves the organization and control of the marina's activity. However, in this study, we have focused on the aspects that mainly affect the economic value of the landscape. It is up to the manager to implement measures following the organization's guidelines and procedures and legal constraints.
These comments have been taken into account and the final part has been rewritten. The text now read (section 5, pages 12-13): “Generally speaking, marina management includes the control and organizing of the marina. Dealing with landscape management, ELC encourages the identification and assessment of landscapes through field research professionals working with local inhabitants. In this sense, the first step for marina managers should be identifying the main landscape items within their marinas. This study provides a methodology to give an economic valuation of the landscape in marinas. For this purpose, it is used the AMUVAN methodology to address the issue of the economic valuation of the landscape in a marina as part of the TEV. The main contribution is to present a variant when it is not possible to directly determine the values resulting from the exploitation of the environmental asset. AMUVEN not only estimates TEV but also obtains the partial values of its components, thus allowing for a more detailed analysis.
“Concerning its weaknesses, the main obstacles were a limitation in understanding the concept of landscape and, therefore, in the assimilation of the various components of the TEV. Respondents perceived the importance of landscape, although it was sometimes difficult to understand the multiple concepts. Furthermore, this understanding represents the basis for credible comparisons.
“In this study, the method is applied to evaluate the landscape of Marina del Este, located on the southern Mediterranean coast of Spain (Granada). This marina is characterized by protected natural areas of great value and a rugged coastline, with coves and caves that are very attractive to sailors. It is reflected in the importance of the landscape compared to other aspects of port management. It is also evident in its valuation, estimated at 16.3 million euros. It represents more than 3,000% of the value of the marina's profit and loss account.
“In order to increase the economic value of the landscape in marinas, specific management measures can be considered. The first step consists of improving the port's landscape aspects, promoting knowledge of the port's surroundings, and promoting knowledge of the port's immediate surroundings, favoring accessibility and environmental improvement. However, it is also necessary to act on other aspects to promote non-use values. Implementing environmental plans, incorporating sustainability criteria in marina management, applying stable environmental policies, and sustainable urban development plans are examples of how to increase this value. These actions should be integrated into the general port management, which, in each case, must incorporate monitoring and control measures to evaluate the effectiveness of the measures adopted”.
The authors reiterate once again their gratitude for the comments made by the reviewer, as they have improved the clarity and understanding of the manuscript.
Reviewer 2 Report
In my opinion the paper is well structured, well written with sound methodology, findings and discussion.
The main space for improvement of the paper can be found in the introduction and conclusion. Indeed, the scholars should more clearly highlight the main contribution of their study. What makes this study unique from others? I believe that this can be done relatively easily by clearly highlighting the main contribution of this study in each of these sections.
Author Response
Point B1. In my opinion the paper is well structured, well written with sound methodology, findings and discussion
The authors wish to thank the reviewer for his/her effort in providing a detailed and timely review of this paper. As regards improvements, we have tried to consider the reviewer’s suggestions as discussed in the following point-by-point response. We have changed the manuscript accordingly.
Point B2. The main space for improvement of the paper can be found in the introduction and conclusion. Indeed, the scholars should more clearly highlight the main contribution of their study. What makes this study unique from others? I believe that this can be done relatively easily by clearly highlighting the main contribution of this study in each of these sections.
We appreciate the reviewer’s advice in this matter. After reviewing the text, the authors agree with the reviewer that it would be necessary to improve the introduction and the conclusion so that the reader can read the manuscript more clearly. The introduction has been rewritten to clarify the approaches. The first line now read (section 1, page 1): “This study contributes to landscape management through a methodology for economic valuation of the landscape in marinas. Marinas are complex infrastructures that offer the broadest range of services in nautical tourism [1-4]”. The text now read (section 1, page 3): “In the case of marinas, the landscape is not the only one responsible for the activities developed. Within the profit and loss account, the contribution originated by the landscape represents a percentage of the total activities carried out in the marina. The novelty of this study is providing an alternative AMUVAN methodology to be applied in cases where it is impossible to establish the economic value of the exploitation of the environmental asset. This valuation represents an effort to improve the marina's management by providing tools that allow marina managers: (1) to establish the importance of landscape within port management and (2) to quantify the marina landscape as a reflection of its social value. The assumption that the landscape represents an essential asset for the port can be translated into an economic quantification. It embodies a tangible input into management decision-making. It is up to the decision-makers to be aware of the totality of the objectives and the constraint of valuation.
“The following sections present the case study (Marina del Este, located in La Herradura, Granada, Spain), the theoretical framework, and the methodology used for the valuation. It also includes how to identify valuable elements of the marina landscape. The results obtained are analyzed. Finally, the discussion and conclusion examine the components of landscape providing guidelines to improve its economic value. For a better understanding, Appendix A displays research data not shown to make the study concise and easier to read”
The text now read (section 5, pages 12-13): “Generally speaking, marina management includes the control and organizing of the marina. Dealing with landscape management, ELC encourages the identification and assessment of landscapes through field research professionals working with local inhabitants. In this sense, the first step for marina managers should be identifying the main landscape items within their marinas. This study provides a methodology to give an economic valuation of the landscape in marinas. For this purpose, it is used the AMUVAN methodology to address the issue of the economic valuation of the landscape in a marina as part of the TEV. The main contribution is to present a variant when it is not possible to directly determine the values resulting from the exploitation of the environmental asset. AMUVEN not only estimates TEV but also obtains the partial values of its components, thus allowing for a more detailed analysis.
“Concerning its weaknesses, the main obstacles were a limitation in understanding the concept of landscape and, therefore, in the assimilation of the various components of the TEV. Respondents perceived the importance of landscape, although it was sometimes difficult to understand the multiple concepts. Furthermore, this understanding represents the basis for credible comparisons.
“In this study, the method is applied to evaluate the landscape of Marina del Este, located on the southern Mediterranean coast of Spain (Granada). This marina is characterized by protected natural areas of great value and a rugged coastline, with coves and caves that are very attractive to sailors. It is reflected in the importance of the landscape compared to other aspects of port management. It is also evident in its valuation, estimated at 16.3 million euros. It represents more than 3,000% of the value of the marina's profit and loss account.
“In order to increase the economic value of the landscape in marinas, specific management measures can be considered. The first step consists of improving the port's landscape aspects, promoting knowledge of the port's surroundings, and promoting knowledge of the port's immediate surroundings, favoring accessibility and environmental improvement. However, it is also necessary to act on other aspects to promote non-use values. Implementing environmental plans, incorporating sustainability criteria in marina management, applying stable environmental policies, and sustainable urban development plans are examples of how to increase this value. These actions should be integrated into the general port management, which, in each case, must incorporate monitoring and control measures to evaluate the effectiveness of the measures adopted”.
The authors reiterate once again their gratitude for the comments made by the reviewer, as they have improved the clarity and understanding of the manuscript.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.doc
