Economic Value of Ecosystem Services Associated with Atlantic River Corridors in the Northwest of the Iberian Peninsula

Résumé fourni par la source

Valuing the benefits of conserving river corridors is essential to recognize the contribution of this natural capital to our well-being. This study aims to quantify the economic value of welfare improvements from the restoration of Atlantic River corridor habitats in Natura 2000 Network sites in the northwest Iberian Peninsula included in the LIFE Fluvial project. The contingent valuation method was used to estimate a discrete choice econometric model of willingness to pay for actions that protect ecosystem benefits associated with riparian forest restoration, and more than 600 residents and visitors in four major project areas were surveyed in 2021. The average willingness to pay was almost € 53 per resident and year (annual benefit to residents for the use, enjoyment and knowledge of the ecosystem services provided by these sites) and € 42 per visitor and year. By extrapolating these values to the population and visitors of the most representative sample areas we got an economic value for this type of conservation action of 4.2 million euros per year, much higher than the cost of implementing the entire project (3.03 million euros).

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.