Department of Forest Management, Faculty of Forestry Sciences and Conservation of Nature, University of Chile, Santa Rosa 11315, La Pintana, Santiago, Chile,
Environ Monit Assess. 2013 Dec;185(12):10479-93. doi: 10.1007/s10661-013-3346-5. Epub 2013 Aug 4.
We conduct a valuation of species protection in central Chile's Campana National Park (CNP) using the choice experiment (CE) method. The CNP has been recognized as having global relevance for the conservation of biological diversity. Specifically, the aim is to estimate the willingness to pay (WTP) of park visitors for protection of different protected species in the area: popular species of flora and fauna that are known by visitors of the park, inconspicuous species (phytofagous, fungus) that are unknown to visitors, and species with conservation problems of which visitors are unaware. We also investigate the WTP for different levels of species biodiversity protection within the sample as the WTP for biodiversity protection is sensitive to the way in which biodiversity is presented to respondents. The levels of species biodiversity protection are represented using "icon" inconspicuous species and numbers of inconspicuous species protected in La Campana National Park. This methodology allowed us to obtain information on the sensitivity of the participants to the scope of the information provided. Overall, visitors attach positive and significant values to the local conservation of species. These values are derived not only from the desire to preserve popular species in the area but also from the preservation or assured existence of inconspicuous species that are protected in the park. Visitors behave as consumers who are sensitive to changes in the price of park admission as a result of the implementation of specific strategies for wildlife conservation management in the park. Furthermore, the study also elucidates the observations that the public is able to perceive biodiversity conservation in broader terms than a single species and that greater benefits are attached to the conservation of multiple species than single ones. Results also provide insights into methodological considerations regarding the conceptual framework used to assess the valuation of biodiversity changes in developing countries, including the level of biological diversity and the scale of the change.
我们采用选择实验（CE）方法对智利中部坎帕纳国家公园（CNP）的物种保护进行了评估。该公园因对生物多样性保护具有全球重要性而得到认可。具体而言，我们旨在估计公园游客对保护该地区不同受保护物种的支付意愿（WTP）：游客熟知的受欢迎的动植物物种、游客不熟悉的不显眼物种（食草动物、真菌）和游客不知道的保护问题物种。我们还研究了样本中不同物种生物多样性保护水平的 WTP，因为生物多样性保护的 WTP 对向受访者提供生物多样性的方式很敏感。物种生物多样性保护水平使用“图标”不显眼物种和坎帕纳国家公园受保护的不显眼物种数量来表示。这种方法使我们能够获得有关参与者对所提供信息范围的敏感性的信息。总体而言，游客对当地物种保护赋予了积极和重要的价值。这些价值不仅源于保护该地区受欢迎物种的愿望，还源于保护或确保公园内受保护的不显眼物种的存在。游客的行为就像对公园入场价格变化敏感的消费者，这是由于公园内实施了特定的野生动物保护管理策略。此外，该研究还阐明了这样的观察结果，即公众能够以比单一物种更广泛的方式感知生物多样性保护，并且保护多个物种比保护单个物种带来更大的好处。结果还为在发展中国家评估生物多样性变化的估值所使用的概念框架提供了方法学方面的考虑，包括生物多样性水平和变化规模。
