Willingness to pay for mangrove restoration to reduce the climate change impacts on ecotourism in Rekawa coastal wetland, Sri Lanka
Permanent link
https://hdl.handle.net/10037/27229Date
2022-05-03Type
Journal articleTidsskriftartikkel
Peer reviewed
Abstract
This study investigates tourist preferences and willingness to pay (WTP)
for restoration of mangroves to reduce the effects of climate change
(CC) on ecotourism at Rekawa coastal wetland, Sri Lanka, using a
double bounded discrete choice elicitation format in a contingent
valuation method. The survey also included socio-economic,
demographic, and attitudinal characteristics of respondents. The results
reveal that domestic and foreign tourists on average were willing to
pay 2.65 USD and 11.4 USD per person, respectively, for mangrove
restoration in Rekawa wetland. Among socio-demographic variables,
education, age, and occupation had a significant effect on WTP.
Furthermore, we show that foreign respondents with greater trust in
the role of mangroves in mitigating the impacts of CC on sea turtles,
and domestic tourists who believed effects of mangrove restoration in
reducing the future vulnerability of urban expansion, were willing to
pay more for the proposed mangrove restoration fund. Based on
tourists’ preferences and WTP for mangrove protection, our results
support the establishment of an environmental protection fund from
the collection of tourists’ entrance fees using a dual pricing strategy,
and the use of the funds for planting mangroves, patrolling mangrove
areas to prevent illegal activities, and promoting nature-based tourism
activities.
Publisher
RoutledgeCitation
Salpage, Aanesen, Armstrong. Willingness to pay for mangrove restoration to reduce the climate change impacts on ecotourism in Rekawa coastal wetland, Sri Lanka. Journal of Environmental Economics and Policy. 2022Metadata
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