Department of Forest Resource Management, Faculty of Forestry and Conservation of Nature, University of Chile, Santa Rosa 11315, La Pintana, Santiago de Chile, Chile.
Environ Monit Assess. 2013 Jan;185(1):253-66. doi: 10.1007/s10661-012-2549-5. Epub 2012 Feb 25.
The main objective of this study is to assess public economic preferences for biodiversity conservation and water supply and to analyse the factors influencing those preferences. A survey based on the choice experiment method was carried out at Peñuelas National Reserve, Chile, an area that is threatened by both occasional forest fires and the growing housing market. The input of local administrators was used to define environmental attributes of the area related to biodiversity conservation and water supply. Attributes were selected for analysis by the choice experiment. The selected attributes were the following: existence of endemic orchid species, chances of observing animals with scenic attraction, additional protection for an endemic amphibian, and availability of drinkable water in the future. A monetary variable consisting of an increase in the rate for entry to the area was also incorporated to estimate willingness to pay (WTP) for additional protection for the selected attributes. Three hundred four Chilean visitors to the reserve were randomly selected for interviews. Econometric analysis based on the Theory of Utility Maximization shows that visitors are willing to pay to protect the selected attributes. WTP values for the attributes range from CHP $2,600 ($5.4) to $6,600 ($14) per person per visit. The results of this research provide reserve managers information about tradeoffs that could be used to enhance public support and maximise the social benefits of nature conservation management programmes.
本研究的主要目的是评估公众对生物多样性保护和水供应的经济偏好，并分析影响这些偏好的因素。该研究采用基于选择实验法的调查在智利佩尼亚斯国家保护区进行，该地区同时受到偶发森林火灾和不断增长的住房市场的威胁。地方管理人员的投入用于确定与生物多样性保护和水供应相关的保护区的环境属性。选择实验分析了选定的属性。选择的属性包括：特有兰花物种的存在、观赏有吸引力的动物的机会、对特有两栖动物的额外保护，以及未来可获得饮用水的机会。还加入了一个由进入该地区的费率增加构成的货币变量，以估计对所选属性的额外保护的支付意愿 (WTP)。对保护区的 304 名智利游客进行了随机访谈。基于效用最大化理论的计量经济学分析表明，游客愿意为保护选定的属性支付费用。每人每次访问对这些属性的支付意愿价值范围从智利比索 2600 元（5.4 美元）到 6600 元（14 美元）不等。这项研究的结果为保护区管理者提供了有关权衡取舍的信息，这些信息可用于增强公众支持并最大限度地提高自然保护管理计划的社会效益。
