VALUING THE RECREATIONAL BENEFITS OF WETLAND ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE: A TRADE-OFF BETWEEN SPECIES’ ABUNDANCE AND DIVERSITY

Michela Faccioli, Antoni Riera Font () and Catalina M. Torres Figuerola
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Antoni Riera Font: Universitat de les Illes Balears, Postal: Edifici Jovellanos, Crta Valldemossa, km 7,5 07122 Palma de Mallorca (Spain)

No 64, DEA Working Papers from Universitat de les Illes Balears, Departament d'Economía Aplicada

Abstract: Climate change will further exacerbate wetland deterioration, especially in the Mediterranean region. On the one side, it will accelerate the decline in the populations and species of plants and animals, this resulting in an impoverishment of biological abundance. On the other one, it will also promote biotic homogenization, resulting in a loss of species’ diversity. In this context, different climate change adaptation policies can be designed: those oriented to recovering species’ abundance and those aimed at restoring species’ diversity. Based on the awareness that knowledge about visitors’ preferences is crucial to better inform policy makers and secure wetlands’ public use and conservation, this paper assesses the recreational benefits of different adaptation options through a choice experiment study carried out in S’Albufera wetland (Mallorca). Results show that visitors display positive preferences for an increase in both species’ abundance and diversity, although they assign a higher value to the latter, thus suggesting a higher social acceptability of policies pursuing wetlands’ differentiation. This finding acquires special relevance not only for adaptation management in wetlands but also for tourism planning, as most visitors to S’Albufera are tourists. Thus, given the growing competition to attract visitors and the increasing demand for high environmental quality and unique experiences, promoting wetlands’ differentiation could be a good strategy to gain competitive advantage over other wetland areas and tourism destinations.

Keywords: climate change; wetland adaptation; species’ diversity; species’ abundance; recreational benefits; choice experiment. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D6 Q51 Q54 Q57 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-agr, nep-dcm and nep-env
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ubi:deawps:64

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