benefits, the platform may bring more income and increase employment for local
areas during the construction phase. There are further benefits due to the production
of renewable energy and farmed fishes and promotion of tourism that is environment
friendly. On the other hand, the construction of such platforms may negatively affect
local fauna, disturb existing fishing grounds and affect seascape amenities (Lu et al.
2014). Therefore, it is also important to identify the potential socio-economic effects
including both market and non-market effects as well as the individuals whose
welfare is likely to be affected before the concept of such platform is put into
implementation (Just et al. 2005; Bockstael and Freeman III 2005; Clinch and
Murphy 2001). Like other offshore investments, the ultimate success of such
concepts will depend on the acceptance and support from local communities and
various interest groups (Haggett 2011; Rudolph 2014; Batel et al. 2013; DevineWright 2005; Roberts and Boucher 2013).
The paper aims to study the social acceptance and socio-economic effects associated with the development of such offshore platforms off the Liuqiu Island, Taiwan.
Social acceptance analysis combines a face-to-face survey together with in-depth
interview questions with local people and tourists who are currently or will be
potentially affected by the offshore developments. A choice experiment (CE) is
deployed to elicit stakeholder preferences in relation to the different platform designs,
and to assess the ecosystem services and non-market effects of the platform. To the
authors’ knowledge, this is the first non-market valuation of multi-use platform and the
first one using a CE in this context. The paper then proceeds to use the social costbenefit analysis to synthesise both market and non-market effects of the platform.
Such offshore investments are likely to become more common because of
increased pressures from growing populations and on coastal spaces. This paper
provides a guideline and examples for assessing the socio-economic effects of such
investments.
The paper is structured as the follows. Section 4.2 details the MUOP concept and its
location. Section 4.3 outlines the methodologies used to study the social acceptance
and socio-economic effects of the platform. Section 4.4 describes the key findings in
terms of the social acceptance of the new offshore development and the socioeconomic
effects including the ecosystem service benefits by constructing such a platform.
4.2 New Offshore Multi-use Development: The TROPOS
Platform off the Liuqiu Island
This paper reports on some of the results on the TROPOS project (http://www.
troposplatform.eu/), which is part of EU FP7 programme ‘Ocean of Tomorrow’,
‘OCEAN Multi-use offshore platforms’ (MUOPs), exploring a range of aspects of
the development of such platforms. The project focuses on the development of a
floating modular multi-use platform system for use in deep waters, with locations in
Crete (Greece), Gran Canaria (Spain) and Taiwan (Quevedo et al. 2013). The
flexible multi-use platform system will be able to integrate a range of functions
4 Social Acceptance and Socio-economic Effects of Multi-use Offshore. . .
63
areas during the construction phase. There are further benefits due to the production
of renewable energy and farmed fishes and promotion of tourism that is environment
friendly. On the other hand, the construction of such platforms may negatively affect
local fauna, disturb existing fishing grounds and affect seascape amenities (Lu et al.
2014). Therefore, it is also important to identify the potential socio-economic effects
including both market and non-market effects as well as the individuals whose
welfare is likely to be affected before the concept of such platform is put into
implementation (Just et al. 2005; Bockstael and Freeman III 2005; Clinch and
Murphy 2001). Like other offshore investments, the ultimate success of such
concepts will depend on the acceptance and support from local communities and
various interest groups (Haggett 2011; Rudolph 2014; Batel et al. 2013; DevineWright 2005; Roberts and Boucher 2013).
The paper aims to study the social acceptance and socio-economic effects associated with the development of such offshore platforms off the Liuqiu Island, Taiwan.
Social acceptance analysis combines a face-to-face survey together with in-depth
interview questions with local people and tourists who are currently or will be
potentially affected by the offshore developments. A choice experiment (CE) is
deployed to elicit stakeholder preferences in relation to the different platform designs,
and to assess the ecosystem services and non-market effects of the platform. To the
authors’ knowledge, this is the first non-market valuation of multi-use platform and the
first one using a CE in this context. The paper then proceeds to use the social costbenefit analysis to synthesise both market and non-market effects of the platform.
Such offshore investments are likely to become more common because of
increased pressures from growing populations and on coastal spaces. This paper
provides a guideline and examples for assessing the socio-economic effects of such
investments.
The paper is structured as the follows. Section 4.2 details the MUOP concept and its
location. Section 4.3 outlines the methodologies used to study the social acceptance
and socio-economic effects of the platform. Section 4.4 describes the key findings in
terms of the social acceptance of the new offshore development and the socioeconomic
effects including the ecosystem service benefits by constructing such a platform.
4.2 New Offshore Multi-use Development: The TROPOS
Platform off the Liuqiu Island
This paper reports on some of the results on the TROPOS project (http://www.
troposplatform.eu/), which is part of EU FP7 programme ‘Ocean of Tomorrow’,
‘OCEAN Multi-use offshore platforms’ (MUOPs), exploring a range of aspects of
the development of such platforms. The project focuses on the development of a
floating modular multi-use platform system for use in deep waters, with locations in
Crete (Greece), Gran Canaria (Spain) and Taiwan (Quevedo et al. 2013). The
flexible multi-use platform system will be able to integrate a range of functions
4 Social Acceptance and Socio-economic Effects of Multi-use Offshore. . .
63