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J'adore ma mer*: How plural values and pro-ocean behaviors of the Tahitian tourism industry can bring us closer to and help protect the ocean

Merchiers, Océane Scarlett LU (2026) In Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science MESM02 20261
LUCSUS (Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies)
Abstract
With four years left to fulfill the goals of the UN’s Ocean Decade, it has become increasingly important to find solutions for the threats our oceans are currently facing. French Polynesia has the largest marine protected area in the world and relies heavily on tourism for development. Through semi-structured interviews with stakeholders in the tourism industry in Tahiti, I study their role in marine conservation. I use the Nature Futures Framework to explore the plural ocean values held by actors in tourism and connect their values to the actions they deem important for ocean sustainability. The connection between participants’ plural values and pro-ocean behaviors (both current and future) supports the idea of developing human-ocean... (More)
With four years left to fulfill the goals of the UN’s Ocean Decade, it has become increasingly important to find solutions for the threats our oceans are currently facing. French Polynesia has the largest marine protected area in the world and relies heavily on tourism for development. Through semi-structured interviews with stakeholders in the tourism industry in Tahiti, I study their role in marine conservation. I use the Nature Futures Framework to explore the plural ocean values held by actors in tourism and connect their values to the actions they deem important for ocean sustainability. The connection between participants’ plural values and pro-ocean behaviors (both current and future) supports the idea of developing human-ocean relationships to improve the use and management of marine resources. Identifying stakeholders within the tourism sector as agents in marine conservation and recognizing their values towards the ocean can help further promote pro-ocean behaviors across sectors. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Merchiers, Océane Scarlett LU
supervisor
organization
course
MESM02 20261
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
tourism, Tahiti, nature values, human-ocean relationships, pro-ocean behaviors, ocean literacy, sustainability science
publication/series
Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science
report number
2026:028
language
English
id
9231613
date added to LUP
2026-06-05 16:22:52
date last changed
2026-06-05 16:22:52
@misc{9231613,
  abstract     = {{With four years left to fulfill the goals of the UN’s Ocean Decade, it has become increasingly important to find solutions for the threats our oceans are currently facing. French Polynesia has the largest marine protected area in the world and relies heavily on tourism for development. Through semi-structured interviews with stakeholders in the tourism industry in Tahiti, I study their role in marine conservation. I use the Nature Futures Framework to explore the plural ocean values held by actors in tourism and connect their values to the actions they deem important for ocean sustainability. The connection between participants’ plural values and pro-ocean behaviors (both current and future) supports the idea of developing human-ocean relationships to improve the use and management of marine resources. Identifying stakeholders within the tourism sector as agents in marine conservation and recognizing their values towards the ocean can help further promote pro-ocean behaviors across sectors.}},
  author       = {{Merchiers, Océane Scarlett}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  series       = {{Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science}},
  title        = {{J'adore ma mer*: How plural values and pro-ocean behaviors of the Tahitian tourism industry can bring us closer to and help protect the ocean}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}