From the Mountains to the Beach: Water Purification Ecosystem Services and Recreational Beach Use in Puerto Rico

Recreational beach use is important for coastal economies and is influenced by water clarity, a trait that may be maintained by water purification ecosystem services (ESs). However, few studies have addressed these linkages. In this study, we ask the following questions: (1) Do watershed-scale water purification ecosystem services influence coastal water quality? (2) Does coastal water quality help explain beach visitation rates? To address these questions, we focused on Puerto Rico (PR), where coastal tourism has economic and cultural importance. We estimated water purification ESs using the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST), coastal water quality using long-term monitoring data, and beach visitation rates using the InVEST Recreation model. We used Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and regression analysis to evaluate these linkages accounting for influential anthropogenic factors (amenities, population density, and impervious surfaces). Water purification ESs strongly predicted coastal water quality, which, in turn, significantly explained beach water clarity. However, amenities and impervious surfaces best explained beach visitation. Our study suggests a disconnect between water quality and recreational beach use in PR, which should be explored further.