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The idea of improving the quality of the Baltic Sea enjoys common understanding and acceptance. An implementation of this idea requires a cost-benefit analysis to define the correct scope of intervention. Monetary valuation of the benefits arising from the quality improvement was conducted for the Baltic Sea using the contingent valuation method, choice experiments, and travel cost method in 2004 and 2010 (booth samples were representative for the whole country). Crucial sources for such valuation were the stated preferences of the respondents. The availability of ex-post data describing the occupancy rate of all swimming sites on the Polish stretch of the Baltic coast, collected for four consecutive years (2012-2016), makes it possible to compare two concepts, i.e. the ex-ante declarations concerning willingness to use high-quality environment and the actual consumers' choices. The results reveal serious discrepancies between the ex-ante and ex-post methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sand nourishments and groynes as coastal protection measures (CPM) address similar challenges on sandy coasts but take different approaches: while groynes are intended to reduce alongshore sediment transport and erosion, nourishments add new sediment to the system to compensate for erosion. The aim of this study is to compare the ecological effects of such measures on the vegetation. To this end, nutrient analysis and botanical mappings were carried out on a site with installed groynes, a site where sand nourishments are regularly carried out, and a control site without any CPM. In addition to an increase in nutrient availability after the sand nourishment, significant changes in plant species diversity and composition were also measured. The number of higher plants, mosses, and lichen species was lower at the nourishment site. The opposite impacts were observed at the groyne site: an increase in sediment cover by higher plants and mosses and a distinct increase in lichen species. The results suggest that groynes lead to a stabilization of the coastal system and enable dense vegetation growth. In contrast, sand nourishments lead to nutrient input and unstable habitat conditions, attracting certain plant communities but preventing the establishment of ground-covering vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]