Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.1080/1331677X.2023.2180055
Accounting of public preferences and valuation of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem services restoration: Evidence from Northwestern China
Muhammad Abu Sufyan Ali
Zhihe Zhang
Sufyan Ullah Khan
Arshad Ahmad Khan
Mohammad Musa
Preethu Rahman
Yousaf Hayat
Abstract
The emphasis of current study is on the assessment of households’
willingness to pay (WTP) and preference heterogeneity for the
upgradation of degraded terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem services
across sub-basins of Heihe River. A sum of 1679 households were
interviewed through choice experiment, and random parameter
logit model is applied for welfare estimation. The estimated results
signified the importance of selected terrestrial and aquatic ecological
attributes. Sampled respondents of upper and middle basins
placed highest WTP for reducing the emission of greenhouse gases
among all other attributes and the WTP amount was 99.27 and
66.49 Yuan/Year respectively. Whereas in lower basin, improvement
in landscape of farmland was highly valued, i.e., 107 Yuan/Year. In
terrestrial ecosystem services the lowest WTP was recorded for
Ejinaqi oasis size in all sub basins. In aquatic ecosystem services,
improving water quality was the most valued attribute in all sub
basins, and the corresponding WTP values are 122.81, 99.87 and
177.43 Yuan/Year in upper, middle and lower basins respectively,
which ensure the significance of water quality in the entire basin. In
aquatic ecosystem services the lowest WTP amount was recorded
for leisure and entertainment conditions in each sub basin.
Keywords
Choice experiment approach; random parameter logit model; spatially heterogeneous preferences; Krinsky-Robb technique; terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem services
Hrčak ID:
306513
URI
Publication date:
31.3.2023.
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