Exploring social values for marine protected areas: The case of Mediterranean monk seal

This study primarily attempts to understand people’s beliefs towards marine protected areas considering as a case study the National Marine Park of Alonissos, Northern Sporades (NMPANS) in Greece. Specifically, it aims to identify people’s opinion about the utility of the park investigating also their beliefs in relation to socio-economic characteristics. For this reason, a face-to-face survey of 200 respondents randomly selected residents of Volos was carried out. The research was structured according to the principles of the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM). According to the survey results, the majority of responders recognized the contribution of the Park to preserve the monk seal and the natural environment. Moreover, they want to maintain the park and specialise in the area of protection measures.