Does Paying for Aquatic Resources Matter? A Case of an African Riverine Ecosystem

Gladys Chigamba, Moses Limuwa and Emmanuel Kaunda
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Gladys Chigamba: AquaFish Centre of Excellency, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR), Lilongwe 265, Malawi
Moses Limuwa: AquaFish Centre of Excellency, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR), Lilongwe 265, Malawi
Emmanuel Kaunda: NEPAD Fish Node, AquaFish Centre of Excellency, LUANAR, Lilongwe 265, Malawi

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 8, 1-13

Abstract: Valuation of environmental goods and services has an important role to play in the protection and conservation of riverine resources. However, the literature shows a dearth of information regarding factors that influence people’s willingness to pay (WTP) for riverine resources. This research study was undertaken to find out key factors that affect the willingness of people to pay for the conservation of aquatic resources in the lower section of the Linthipe River in Malawi. Data was collected through household interviews, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and contingent valuation (CV) surveys. The study noted that communities were willing to offer $3.51 per year for the conservation of aquatic resources in the river. This study established that the people’s WTP is a function of education level, household usage of the goods and services, community support in the management of the resources, household income, and distance of the household from the river ecosystem. The study further discovered that the pay-out level of the users along the Linthipe River was driven by household usage of resources from the river, period of stay in the area, and level of household income. Our recommendation is that government and development partners should popularize the important role played by rivers and streams to surrounding communities and beyond to appeal for more support from users. The authorities must further empower the communities along the rivers and streams to sustainably manage the aquatic resources for the continued appreciation of aquatic resources by future generations.

Keywords: willingness to pay; Linthipe River; contingent valuation; Heckman two-stage model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:8:p:4177-:d:532744

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