Estimating the Probability of Visiting a Protected Natural Space and Its Conditioning Factors: The Case of the Monfragüe Biosphere Reserve (Spain)

Marcelino Sánchez-Rivero, Juan de la Cruz Sánchez-Domínguez and Cristina Rodríguez-Rangel Mª
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Marcelino Sánchez-Rivero: Department of Economics, Faculty of Economic Sciences and Management, University of Extremadura, Avenida de Elvas s/n, 06006 Badajoz, Spain
Juan de la Cruz Sánchez-Domínguez: Department of Economics, Faculty of Economic Sciences and Management, University of Extremadura, Avenida de Elvas s/n, 06006 Badajoz, Spain
Cristina Rodríguez-Rangel Mª: Department of Economics, Faculty of Economic Sciences and Management, University of Extremadura, Avenida de Elvas s/n, 06006 Badajoz, Spain

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 7, 1-19

Abstract: Spain is the European country with the highest percentage of protected areas (27.4% of its total surface area) and the country with the highest number of Biosphere Reserves, with 53. Extremadura, the region that we analyze in our study, has a total of 89 Special Conservation Areas and 71 Special Protection Areas, Monfragüe being one of them. In this context, the aim of this paper is to determine which factors have an influence on the decision to visit Monfragüe. We perform a regression analysis using a logit model, which shows that the only four factors that influence the decision to visit Monfragüe are gender, travelling with one’s partner or family, the type of accommodation, and the importance given to nature conservation. We also analyze the structural change using the Chow test, which shows that there are no structural changes, i.e., that the probability of visiting Monfragüe in the high or low season is not significantly different. In the case of Monfragüe, ecotourism is not currently practiced en masse; only 3 out of 10 tourists practice ecotourism in Monfragüe, which is important for the sustainable management of the park because the number of tourists it receives each year is within its carrying capacity.

Keywords: natural parks; regression analysis; ecotourism; Extremadura (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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