Claudia Cerda

Application of choice experiments to quantify the existence value of an endemic moss: a case study in Chile

A choice experiment was applied to measure the existence value of an endemic moss. We assessed value separation, embedding or warm glow and ‘ethical’ motivations. We exemplify our application by valuing an inconspicuous moss endemic to Chiles sub-Antarctic region. The choice experiment was administered to a sample of local residents of Navarino Island (southern Chile). The design isolates the existence value by requiring respondents to make simultaneous tradeoffs between moss existence value, five other biodiversity-related values and income changes. Insensitivity to scope was addressed by using degrees of extinction risks. We predominantly use a willingness-to-accept design of the payment vehicle to avoid protest responses. A meaningful marginal value for the existence of an endemic species for Navarino island residents was documented. The design, based on varying degrees of extinction risk, avoided a strong effect of warm glow. No protest responses motivated by ethical concerns were encountered.

Assessing the value of species: a case study on the willingness to pay for species protection in Chile

We conduct a valuation of species protection in central Chiles 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.

Valuing biodiversity attributes and water supply using choice experiments: a case study of La Campana Peñuelas Biosphere Reserve, Chile

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

Spectrum of concepts associated with the term “biodiversity”: a case study in a biodiversity hotspot in South America

2,600 (

CONOCIMIENTO, USO Y VALORACIÓN DE LA FLORA VASCULAR DE TIERRA DEL FUEGO: EL EJEMPLO DE KARUKINKA

5.4) to

Una aplicación de experimentos de elección para identificar preferencias locales por opciones de conservación y desarrollo en el extremo sur de Chile

6,600 (

Valuing cultural ecosystem services: Agricultural heritage in Chiloé island, southern Chile

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.

Using choice experiments to understand public demand for the conservation of nature: a case study in a protected area of Chile.

In most conservation programs that include public participation, the word “biodiversity” is used. However, many variables influence the public understanding of the term and determine what biodiversity means to local stakeholders. Those representations of the concept must be addressed and included in conservation actions. We asked 47 local stakeholders in a biosphere reserve (BR) located in a biodiversity hotspot in South America, for whom the conservation of biodiversity is not the main focus of interest, to explain how they understand the term “biodiversity.” Twenty-two different definitions were provided, ranging from purely ecological concepts to the human dimension. Although the diversity of animals and plants was the most frequently mentioned concept, the variety of concepts that emerged suggested that more explicit examples of social constructions must be considered in public participatory projects and environmental education programs. Actors living in a close relationship with nature provide a greater diversity of elements in defining biodiversity, visualizing ecological but also instrumental values.

Non-market economic valuation of the benefits provided by temperate ecosystems at the extreme south of the Americas

Biodiversity conservation requires knowledge and valuation of the preserved entity. Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is leading a conservation program in southern Tierra del Fuego, in the private park Karukinka that expects to preserve globally important ecosystems for the benefit of the present and future, local and global community. The overall objective of this research is to know the current and potential use of plants contained in Karukinka, to determine the degree of knowledge among local people on this flora and their uses, as well as the level of valuation of the latter. Therefore, we expect to contribute to the valuation of the biota of the area, making suggestions for future environmental education programs, possible to be implemented by WCS. This work has evaluated the potential use for vascular plants of Karukinka through an exhaustive checking of botanical, ethnobotanical and others kinds of literature. Current use was estimated using specific surveys on the population of the area of Porvenir and Punta Arenas. The polls were conducted in two strata of the Magallanes region population: schoolchildren and professionals. These surveys dealt with the knowledge about vascular plants of Tierra del Fuego, its uses, and their valuation. They were analyzed combining qualitative and quantitative methods with general descriptive statistics. The survey results confirm the initial hypothesis of the existence of a large gap of knowledge about flora of Tierra del Fuego, especially alarming in the case of schoolchildren and adults of Porvenir.

Assessing visitors’ preferences for ecosystem features in a desert biodiversity hotspot

Resumen es: Este estudio utiliza un experimento de eleccion (EE) para estimar valores economicos de servicios ambientales no transados en mercados, proporcionados po...