Beyond Surfonomics: Towards a Conceptual Model of Sustainable Development, Ecosystem Services and Positional Analysis in the Valuation of Waves

Borne, Gregory ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8227-9679, Beaumont, Kizzy ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-2893-6961 and Walmsley, Andreas ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2791-3315 (2026) Beyond Surfonomics: Towards a Conceptual Model of Sustainable Development, Ecosystem Services and Positional Analysis in the Valuation of Waves. Working Paper. UNSPECIFIED.

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Abstract / Summary

his paper develops a transdisciplinary conceptual framework for understanding the value of coastal wave resources by integrating surfonomics, ecosystem services, and sustainable development. While surfonomics has typically focused on the economic value of surfing through market and non-market valuation techniques, such approaches provide only a partial account of the complex ecological, social, and cultural values embedded within surfing environments. Addressing this limitation, the paper situates surfonomics within a broader theoretical context that draws on ecosystem services, natural capital, and positional analysis. The paper draws on the concept of the surf system boundary to capture the dynamic and interconnected nature of coastal environments where surfing takes place. It then develops a conceptual model that positions sustainable development as an overarching epistemological lens, linking ecological modernisation and reflexive modernity within a risk society framework. Through this lens, ecosystem services and natural capital are reinterpreted as part of a wider, pluralistic valuation process shaped by competing stakeholder perspectives. The paper contributes to coastal management by offering an interdisciplinary framework that moves beyond narrow economic valuation towards a more integrated understanding of coastal resources. It highlights the importance of recognising multiple forms of capital and the interactions between ecological and social systems, providing a foundation for more inclusive and reflexive governance approaches to the management of coastal and marine environments.

Item Type:	Report or Working Paper (Working Paper)
Subjects:	Business > Leisure & Tourism Business > Management Philosophy & Psychology Social Sciences Sustainability & Environment
Department:	Cornwall Business School
Depositing User:	Greg Borne
Date Deposited:	23 Apr 2026 13:24
Last Modified:	23 Apr 2026 13:24
URI:	https://repository.falmouth.ac.uk/id/eprint/6454

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