Local Willingness to Pay Survey for Rare and Endangered Species Protection in Qianjiangyuan National Park, China

Xiaoping Sun, Jiamin Shen, Ran Tao, Yu Shen (), Mingchang Cao () and Yang Xiao ()
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Xiaoping Sun: Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Bioresources of Saline Soils, Jiangsu Synthetic Innovation Center for Coastal Bio-Agriculture, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Coastal Wetland Bioresources and Environmental Protection, School of Wetland, Yancheng Teachers University, Yancheng 224001, China
Jiamin Shen: Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Bioresources of Saline Soils, Jiangsu Synthetic Innovation Center for Coastal Bio-Agriculture, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Coastal Wetland Bioresources and Environmental Protection, School of Wetland, Yancheng Teachers University, Yancheng 224001, China
Ran Tao: Co-Innovation Center for the Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Yu Shen: Co-Innovation Center for the Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Mingchang Cao: Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China, Nanjing 210042, China
Yang Xiao: Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Bioresources of Saline Soils, Jiangsu Synthetic Innovation Center for Coastal Bio-Agriculture, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Coastal Wetland Bioresources and Environmental Protection, School of Wetland, Yancheng Teachers University, Yancheng 224001, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 3, 1-15

Abstract: The willingness to pay for the protection of rare and endangered species is information vital to the formulation of biodiversity protection strategies. Accordingly, this study used the contingent valuation method to evaluate the protection of Elliot’s pheasant ( Syrmaticus ellioti ) in Qianjiangyuan National Park in Zhejiang, China. A questionnaire was administered to the residents of 19 villages in the towns of Qixi, Hetian, Changhong, and Suzhuang to examine their willingness to pay for the conservation of Elliot’s pheasant. A logit model was adopted to calculate the monetary existence value of the species. The results showed that 38.1% of the respondents are willing to pay CNY 4.025 per month for the protection of Elliot’s pheasant and that the total willingness payment per year is CNY 179,312. This willingness is influenced mainly by gender, education level, income level, and awareness regarding the protection of the species, which all have a significant positive correlation with willingness. The male respondents refuse to pay for protection fees, whereas respondents with high education levels, incomes, and awareness of the protection of endangered species are more willing to protect Elliot’s pheasant. Among the respondents, 45.30%, 38.46%, and 28.21% are unwilling to pay for the protection of the species because of income constraints, poor awareness of species conservation, and perceptions regarding the role of government, respectively. The government should increase subsidies for conservation and guide the re-employment of residents as protectors of biological diversity in the study area to increase their incomes. It should also strengthen public awareness regarding biodiversity and nationally protected animals.

Keywords: Qianjiangyuan National Park; Elliot’s pheasant; willingness to pay; contingent valuation method; conservation strategy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
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