Non-use values are values that people assign to an environmental asset even if it is not currently used or there are no intentions of using it in the future. These include the premium that people are willing to pay to ensure the existence and availability of an environmental asset in the future.
Non-use values include existence values and bequest values. Existence value is the value that is associated with the actual mere existence of an environmental asset that is independent of one’s use of the asset. That is, they value is in the existence of the asset regardless of whether is able to use it or not. Sadly, studies of existence values of marine resources are limited. A study that investigated the non-use value for protecting the Great Barrier Reef in Australia estimated it to be at US$80 million per year.
Bequest values are the value attached to preserving an environmental asset for the future generations, independent of one’s own use of the asset. This as well, has seen very few studies which directly estimate its value. Till now, only one study has estimated the bequest value in association with marine environment and has estimated it to be at Rp412,000/km2 (present value with now be Rp91 million) fir the coral reefs in Wakatobi Marine Park in Sulawesi.
Coral reefs, like many other habitats, have an “intrinsic value” of their own that is by nature, impossible to give a monetary value.