Eugene E. Ezebilo

Preferences and willingness to pay for close to home nature for outdoor recreation in Sweden.

In Sweden there is a strong tradition of using nature areas for outdoor recreation. This paper reports on a study which explored preferences and willingness to pay for outdoor recreation close to home (≤100 km away from home and ≤24 hours stay at a recreation site) using the contingent valuation method. The data originated from a mail survey that involved Swedish residents who were randomly selected from a national register. An ordinary least squares regression model was used to account for factors influencing willingness to pay. The results showed that approximately 50% of the respondents used nature areas close to their home for recreation and their average frequency of visits to these areas was 74 times annually. Areas dominated by forests were the most preferred, followed by water. The respondents were willing to pay approximately 7200 SEK (US

Non-market forest ecosystem services and decision support in Nordic countries

1080) annually. Their willingness to pay was influenced by factors such as type of nature area, distance to and time spent at the recreation site and income. The results provide one input to the land use planning process by considering the demand for nature-based outdoor recreation close to home.

Browsing damage by moose in Swedish forests: assessments by hunters and foresters

ABSTRACT The need to integrate non-market ecosystem services into decision-making is widely acknowledged. Despite the exponentially growing body of literature, trade-offs between services are still poorly understood. We conducted a systematic review of published literature in the Nordic countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland) on the integration of non-market forest ecosystem services into decision-making. The aim of the review was two-fold: (1) to provide an overview of coverage of biophysical and socio-economic assessments of non-market ecosystem services in relation to forest management; (2) to determine the extent of the integration of biophysical and socio-economic models of these services into decision support models. Our findings reveal the need for wider coverage of non-market ecosystem services and evidence-based modelling of how forest management regimes affect ecosystem services. Furthermore, temporal and spatial modelling of ecosystem impacts remains a challenge. We observed a few examples of multiple non-market services assessments. Integration of non-market services into decision support was performed with either biophysical or socio-economic models, often using proxies and composite indicators. The review reveals that there is scope for more comprehensive and integrated model development, including multiple ecosystem services and appropriate handling of forest management impacts.

Households' perceptions of private sector municipal solid waste management services: A binary choice analysis

Abstract In Sweden, there is a longstanding conflict between the use of forests for timber production and game for hunting due to browsing damages on young forests. This study examines the assessments of two stakeholder groups regarding browsing damage by moose. The data originated from a mail survey that involved hunters and forest owners in Sweden. The samples were randomly selected from two national registers of hunters and forest owners, respectively. An ordered logit model was used to account for the assessments of severity of moose browsing damage. The results showed that on average, non-forest owning hunters rated the browsing damage on their main hunting ground lower than non-hunting forest owners rated the browsing damage on their forest estate. The respondents who both hunt and own forest had a rating that was intermediate between the former two groups. The ratings were mainly influenced by level of activity in improving game habitat, quantity of moose meat obtained, level of moose on forest estate and the importance of bagging game as well as forest estate size, hunting ground size, and the stakeholder group that the respondents belong. The findings can help in designing strategies for conflict resolution between forestry and hunting for moose.

Community forestry as perceived by local people around Cross River National Park, Nigeria.

The increase in the volume of waste materials discharged to the environment and deterioration of environmental quality in urban areas have been an issue of major concern for many governments in developing countries. To improve effectiveness and efficiency in the delivery of waste management services some of the governments have involved the private sector. This study uses binary choice model to examine urban residents’ perceptions regarding solid waste management that involves the private sector and what could be done to improve the waste management services. The data were generated from survey conducted in 238 households in Ilorin in southwest Nigeria. The results show that most of the respondents were not satisfied with solid waste management in the Ilorin. Binary logit model estimates reveal that the respondents’ perceptions regarding waste management were determined by income, travel time to dump site and marital status, as well as awareness of laws regarding waste disposal and activities of sanitary inspectors. For solid waste management in urban areas to be sustainable, it requires participation of the government, private sector and residents. The results generated from this study can help waste management authorities in designing a more sustainable waste management strategy in Ilorin, as well as in other cities that have similar conditions.

Economic value of a non-market ecosystem service: an application of the travel cost method to nature recreation in Sweden

The prior identification of local people’s preferences for conservation-development projects will help gear nature-conservation strategies toward the needs of different groups of local people. This will help policy-makers in designing a more acceptable and effective conservation strategy. This article reports a study of local perceptions of a community forestry project that aims to help improve the design as well as local acceptance of the project. The data originated from personal interviews conducted in communities around Okwangwo Division of the Cross River National Park in southeast Nigeria and were analysed using ordered logit and binary logit models. The results showed that >50% of the respondents were satisfied with the community forestry project. The respondents’ perceptions were mainly influenced by education, age, gender, and willingness to contribute money to tourism as well as the contributions of cocoa, banana, and afang (Gnetumafricanum) to the respondents’ income. The results from this study have important implications for nature conservation in Nigeria and potentially other conservation contexts across the developing world.

Nature conservation in Cross River National Park, south-east Nigeria: promoting collaboration between local people and conservation authorities

ABSTRACT Most ecosystem services that are not traded on markets contribute to human welfare; however, these services are often undervalued due to the fact that their economic value is not well known. Accounting for the value of these services can help in making decisions that enable efficient use of environmental resources. This paper reports on a study of recreational trips to nature areas, the economic value of recreation in nature and factors influencing such trips. It also aimed to explore the possibilities of designing a nature-based recreation management strategy that could meet societal preferences and demands for recreation amenities. Data were obtained from a survey that involved Swedish residents who were randomly selected from a national register and were analysed using a negative binomial regression model. The results showed that the average frequency of trips to nature areas was 80 trips annually and the average travel cost for a trip to these areas was 117 SEK (16 USD). Forest-dominated areas were the most frequently visited and mountainous areas the least. Trips to mountain-dominated areas had the highest travel cost, followed by water-dominated areas, with forest areas the lowest. The consumer surplus for a trip to a nature area was 526 SEK (72 USD). The frequency of trips to nature areas was influenced by factors such as travel cost, type of nature area, travel time to and time spent at the nature area, recreational activity, income and dwelling place. If the aim of the Swedish policy on outdoor recreation (i.e. Right to Public Access) is to increase the frequency of trips to nature areas, facilities that could help reduce travel costs to these areas should be provided. Nature areas should be managed towards meeting societal preferences and demands for recreation. The findings could assist ecosystem managers in land use planning processes and in designing a sustainable nature-based recreation strategy.

More or less moose: how is the hunting value affected?

In most developing countries, there has been a long-standing conflict between nature conservation and local demands for natural resources. This paper reports a study on the preference of local people for different incentives that could help increase local support for nature conservation. It also explores the possibilities for designing a sustainable incentive strategy. Data were obtained from personal interviews conducted with community members around the Okwangwo Division of the Cross River National Park in south-east Nigeria, and were analysed using a multinomial logit model. The results showed that skill development was the most preferred incentive, followed by community forestry. The gathering of non-timber forest products under the supervision of national park officials was least preferred. The local peoples preferences were influenced by factors such as education, extraction of bush mangoes, membership of environmental group, farmland size, income from non-timber forest products, ownership of commercial cocoa farms and gender. We conclude that an incentive-based strategy for nature conservation will be more effective if local people are more involved in negotiations regarding the incentive that are being offered. The findings from this study could assist nature conservation managers in designing a more acceptable and effective nature conservation strategy.

Public–private sector partnership in household waste management as perceived by residents in south-west Nigeria

In Sweden, management of moose is important due to considerable values as well as costs associated with this game species. An overarching question is how much moose Sweden should have. This short communication is delimited to the question of what the hunting value of moose is and what the hunting value would be given alternative levels of moose population density and allowed harvest. It is based on data from a mail contingent valuation survey that involved randomly selected hunters from a national register. The results showed that moose was the economically most important game species in Swedish hunting. The results also suggested that the hunting value would increase, but at a decreasing rate, if the moose population density and allowed harvest were increased – and vice versa. The findings should be of considerable interest in the context of adaptive moose management.

Malaria infection in children in tropical rainforest: assessments by women of Ugbowo Community in Benin City, Nigeria.

In most developing countries public–private sector partnership is becoming increasingly applied in household waste management service delivery especially in urban areas to reduce cost and improve effectiveness. This paper reports a study of householders’ perceptions of public–private sector partnership in provision of household waste management services in Ilorin, south-west Nigeria. A multistage random sampling technique was used to select 224 households for the study. The data generated from the survey were analysed using a binary logit model. The results show that most of the respondents were of the opinion that the public–private partnership has not been able to improve household waste management services. Time taken to visit solid waste collection point, income and marital status negatively influenced their perceptions, while activities of sanitary inspectors, occupation and gender had positive influence. The public–private partnership will be more effective and sustainable if the public sector could pay more attention to performance monitoring and accountability.