Estimating the recreational value of a coastal wetland park: Application of the choice experiment method and travel cost interval analysis

Estimating the recreational value of a coastal wetland park is useful in understanding wetland ecosystem and nurturing a balanced relationship between wetland tourism exploration and natural conservation. This study aims to apply appropriate methodologies to accurately estimate the recreational value of a coastal wetland park. The Nansha Wetland in China was used as the study site, and its recreational value was divided into non-use value (estimated using the choice experiment method (CEM)) and use value (estimated using travel cost interval analysis (TCIA)). The data were collected via questionnaires consisting of different choice experiment scenarios and travel cost investigations. The results showed that the per capita and total non-use values were 116.97 CNY/17.80 USD and 24.56 million CNY/3.74 million USD, respectively, and the per capita and total use values were 313.95 CNY/47.79 USD and 65.93 million CNY/10.04 million USD. Therefore, the per capita and total recreational values were 430.92 CNY/65.59 USD and 90.49 million CNY/13.77 million USD. CEM was used to identify tourists' trade-offs and preferences among the selected wetland attributes. As a result, tourists were found to have the largest marginal willingness to pay (MWTP) for "mangrove coverage," followed by "species of rare birds" and "water visibility." TCIA was used to solve the under-dispersion problem of the number of trips. Based on these findings, several managerial implications were identified, including adjusting ticket price based on the non-use value, regulating tourists' behaviors, enhancing the protection of mangroves, improving the water quality and the living habitats of migrant birds, and promoting science education and popularization.

Exploring the value of overseas biodiversity to Chinese netizens based on willingness to pay for the African elephants' protection

For a long time, Chinese people have been considered to be concerned only with commercial interests but not ecological systems and biodiversity conservation, even though their trade and investment footprints are globalizing rapidly. This study intended to reveal the non-market valuation on the non-use value of African elephant to Chinese people. Taking the ban of ivory trade as the background, in this study, Chinese netizens' willingness to pay for African elephant conservation was investigated using the contingent valuation method. Four versions of questionnaires were designed and distinguished by offering different background information and payment vehicles (tax and donation). It was demonstrated that the differences in both given information and payment vehicles had no significant impacts on the estimated mean willingness to pay value. 53.36% of the respondents gave positive responses for the hypothetical projects of African elephant protection. The mean willingness to pay was 83.62 RMB (12.59 USD) and 158.58 RMB (23.88 USD) per year per household and the aggregated willingness to pay or benefits for the protection of African elephants from Chinese netizens were estimated to be 16.31 billion RMB (2.45 billion USD) and 30.92 billion RMB (4.65 billion USD) per year after grouping regression and benefit transfer adjustments, respectively. The current research shows that Chinese people, living thousands kilometers away from Africa, have a high public awareness for and valuation to the endangered elephants.