Skip to main content
A timber truck fully loaded with logs drives over a very simple wooden bridge in a forest.
© Thünen-Institut
A timber truck fully loaded with logs drives over a very simple wooden bridge in a forest.
Institute of

WF Forestry

Article on willingness to pay for forest conservation in Ecuador published

Many of the benefits society derives from forests have public good characteristics since users cannot be easily charged for them; these benefits may not be reflected in market values. It is, therefore, crucial to estimate the value that individuals place on such non-market benefits.

© Richard Fischer

We examined preferences and willingness-to-pay (WTP) of Ecuadorian households for a proposed forest conservation program aiming to avoid 500 km2 of deforestation in Ecuador (i.e. the current annual deforestation area). The monthly mean WTP per household lies between $6.28 - $3.17, depending on analysis method. Aggregated over all households, Ecuadorians are willing to pay more than 150 million US$ per year for avoiding deforestation in their country. This is far more than the costs of some current protection programs. Our WTP estimates provide aggregate information that could support the design of forest policy instruments by incorporating citizens´ preferences.

  • Gordillo Vera F, Elsasser P, Günter S (2019) Willingness to pay for forest conservation in Ecuador: Results from a nationwide contingent valuation survey in a combined "referendum" - "Consequential open-ended" design. Forest Pol Econ 105:28-39, DOI:10.1016/j.forpol.2019.05.002

Link to the project site

Back
Scroll to top
Follow us
[Translate to English:] Logo des Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft