Living environment shaped residents’willingness to pay for ecosystem services in Yangtze River Middle Reaches Megalopolis,China

Profound understanding on the diversity of local residents’willingness to pay(WTP)for ecosystem services(ESs)may aid evaluation of policy impacts by uncovering trade-offs and synergies for achieving sustainable environmental resource management.However,the reasons for the spatial preference heterogeneity of WTP are still unclear.In this study,an extensive survey with 4,580 residents in the Yangtze River Middle Reaches Megalopolis(YRMRM),central China,was carried out to investigate the public’s WTP to maintain and improve ESs.We identified key influencing factors and explored how they shaped the preference heterogeneity in WTP by random forest model and surface fitting method.Our results showed that 81.4% of residents reported WTP for ESs greater than zero.Water supply,waste treatment,food supply and raw material supply were the preferred ESs for residents.Living environment factors(i.e.,extent of farmland,water and forest near the residence)were found as the key drivers of WTP.Proximity to farmland,water and forests resulted in high WTP values for a series of specific ESs.The reasons for the heterogeneity of WTP are(1)the difference in proximity to farmland,water and forest(i.e.,the contributor to ESs),(2)the divergence of local residents’preferences for ESs.This study disclosed the heterogeneity and causes of public preferences in YRMRM,which could help policy and decision makers to develop eco-compensation initiatives towards conservative and sustainable use of the environmental resources.

Tourists’Willingness to Pay for Recreation Services in Nyerere National Park,Tanzania:Are We Overvaluing or Undervaluing Our Nature Recreation Resources?

This study estimated tourists’Willingness to Pay(WTP)per day for recreation services in Nyerere National Park(NNP)and compared these values with daily travel costs that are incurred by tourists to visit NNP in order to inform whether recreation resources in the park are overvalued or undervalued.The study revealed that tourists’WTP per day for recreation services was estimated at$237.4 and$1521 for resident and non-resident tourists,respectively.The estimated tourists’WTP values exceed the daily travel costs currently incurred by tourists,which are$201.04 and$1517.97 for resident and non-resident tourists,respectively.This indicates that tourists are willing to spend more to enjoy recreation services in NNP,which signifies that recreation resources in NNP are slightly undervalued.In addi­tion,the findings disclosed that the largest share of tourist daily travel expenses is allocated to transportation services,and very little is paid to the park as a conservation fee.It was revealed that out of the daily travel expenses incurred by non-resident and resident tourists,only 4.62%and 2.23%are respectively paid directly to NNP as conservation fees.This study considers that allocation is not very fair;thus,NNP,in collaboration with TANAPA,needs to adjust the current entrance or conservation fee and reduce the transportation costs charged by tourist companies.The travel costs incurred by tourists,age,education,monthly income,site visited,substitute site,and quality of park were identified as significant factors in influencing tourists’WTP for recreation services in NNP.Thus,policies oriented to reduce tour­ists’transportation costs and improve the quality of national parks would attract more tourists to NNP.

Willingness to Pay (WTP) for an Improved Environmental Quality in Ebonyi State, Nigeria

Increasing generation of rice husk requires better quality disposal options in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. The common practice has been incineration or dumping into dumpsite. The enormous heaps of these rice husks which have piled up since the 1960s now constitute nuisance. Removal of this rice husk from the environment is urgently needed because of the environmental pollution and health hazards it poses to the people and the environs. This study estimates the willingness to pay (WTP) for improved waste disposal services. Findings indicated that about 95% (152) of the households were willing to pay for removal of rice husk waste with an average amount of N957. Factors that positively affected WTP for the removal of rice husk from the environment include annual income (0.001), years of education (0.013), farm size (0.051), age (0.025) and farming experience (0.008), while household size (0.003) and distances of homes/farms from rice mill centers (RMCs) (0.001) were inversely related to WTP with the R2 value of 77%. About 90% (144) of the respondents generated rice husk with an average of 23 bags (kg). The study therefore recommends among others that through the help of extension agents, the general public should be informed on the need for waste recycling and the need for attitudinal change towards recycled product.

Farmers' Willingness to Pay( WTP ) for Reducing Agricultural Non-point Source Pollution: Based on the Empirical Analysis of 453 Farmers

With the rapid development of modern agriculture,agricultural non-point source pollution becomes increasingly serious in China,improving farmers' environmental protection consciousness plays a very important role in the reduction of agricultural non-point source pollution,and the WTP of Farmers for controlling agricultural non-point source pollution strongly reflects the strength of their environmental protection consciousness. Therefore,this investigation and study choose rural areas of five counties from Chongqing city and Zhejiang province as our sample,respectively make interview survey with the WTP(money or voluntary work) of farmers for improving local water and soil quality. Based on the statistical analysis of survey data,this study also takes empirical test and analysis with the influence factors on the WTP of farmers for reducing agricultural non-point source pollution. The analysis and conclusions of this research provides the supports in theory and practice for optimizing farmers' behavior,promoting the management of agricultural non-point source pollution and implementing new rural construction goal.

Chinese Public's Willingness to Pay for CO＿2 Emissions Reductions: A Case Study from Four Provinces/Cities

Contingent Valuation Method(CVM) was used to investigate the Chinese public's willingness to pay(WTP) for a policy to reduce CO2 emissions. Face to face interviews were conducted to collect 1,653 valid questionnaires from Beijing, Shanghai, Shandong province, and Fujian province. A model was constructed to understand the factors that influence WTP. The results indicate that the Chinese public is willing to pay CN 201.86 annually to support the policy of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Participants from Beijing show the highest WTP, followed by participants from Fujian and Shandong, while those from Shanghai report the lowest WTP. The findings reveal that participants with higher income, higher satisfaction with their current life, and awareness of climate issues are willing to pay more for CO2 emissions reductions. In addition, those who are young, male and members of the Communist Party also indicate a higher WTP. The results imply that translating the public's willingness to protect climate into actions should be taken into account in China's low carbon policy. There is a need to consider the difference in degree of willingness, among different social groups, to pay for emissions reductions if the market-based mechanisms such as carbon tax were designed to facilitate emissions reductions.

Willingness to pay for colorectal cancer screening in Guangzhou

AIM To measure the willingness to pay for colorectal cancer screening in Guangzhou, and to identify those factors associated with it. METHODS A face-to-face questionnaire survey for pre-screening population from free and non-free colonoscopy districts was used to collect information on demographic characteristics, health behaviours, the intention of the cancer screenings and willingness to pay for colorectal cancer screening. A total of 1243 participants who took part in the pre-screening for colorectal cancer in Guangzhou were collected in the study. Categorical data were compared using the χ~2 test to analyse significant differences. Non-conditional logistic regression and multi-class logistic regression were also performed for multivariate analysis and to estimate the odds ratios.RESULTS The percentage of participants willing to pay for colorectal cancer screening was 91.7%. "Unnecessary" was the dominant reason that participants gave for their unwillingness, accounting for 63.1%. Of those who were willing to pay, 29.2%, 20.7%, 14.8%, 13.0% and 22.4% of participants were willing to pay less than $100, $100-$199, $200-299, $300-$399 and more than $400, respectively. Non-logistic regression analysis showed that respondents who were male, had a high level of education, were from the family with more children/older to raise, and accepted colorectal cancer screening were willing to pay for this screening. Multi-class logistic regression analysis showed that respondents with higher annual household income per capita, from government and private enterprises, government agency/institution and peasants, and less family medical expenditure were willing to pay more.CONCLUSION Willingness to pay for colorectal cancer screening in Guangzhou is high, but the amount of willing to pay is not much.

Residents’ Willingness to Pay for Improving Air Quality in Jinan, China

Along with the progress of urbanization and environ- mental deterioration, residents’ desire for improved air quality is increasing. In order to quantify an individual’s willingness-to-pay (WTP) for improved air quality in Jinan of eastern China, a contingent valuation method (CVM) was employed. A sample of 1,500 residents was chosen on the basis of multistage sampling methods with face-to-face interviews by using a series of hypo-thetical, open-ended scenario questions which were designed to elicit the respondents’ WTP. Results showed that 59.7% of respondents were able to express their WTP and the mean WTP is 100 Chinese Yuan (CNY) per person per year. A probit model on the probability of a positive WTP and a regression model were developed to find the relationship between endogenous variables and WTP. Most parameters in the econometric analysis had the expected sign. Annual household income and expenditure on treating respiratory diseases significantly influence WTP. The rates of positive WTP and the monetary amount are larger for men than for women. Results also showed that people who lived in more polluted areas were willing to pay more for clean air. Unlike developed countries, clean air may only be considered as a public good in China in that more than 40% of respondents had no incen- tive to bear the costs of attempting to achieve better air quality, which indicates the relatively low environmental consciousness.

Consumer willingness to pay for plastic bags levy and willingness to accept eco-friendly alternatives in Botswana

Plastic bags, though commonly used for packaging of goods, are highly durable and non- biodegradable. Plastic bag litter serves as a negative environmental externality detrimental to animal health and natural beauty of the environment. In an effort to curtail the excessive use of plastic bags in Botswana, the government introduced a plastic levy targeted at consumers at retail points. This study uses primary data collected from 367 respondents randomly selected from six geospatially and purposively selected shopping malls to determine the consumers＇ willingness to pay （WTP） for continued plastic bag usage and their willingness to accept （WTA） to shift to eco-friendly alternatives. The results of the study revealed that open dumping and burning of plastic litter are more common in Maun than in Gaborone, It also showed that there is a significant relationship between the level of education and W＇FP. Further, there is a significant variation in income and education in respect to environmental awareness. The government should improve its efforts of sensitizing the public about the improper disposal of plastic bags.

Willingness to Pay for Measures of Managing the Health Effects of Heat Wave in Beijing,China:a Cross-sectional Survey

Objective There are evidences that heat wave events cause deaths and emergency cases. This article used the contingent valuation method to find the willingness to pay for the protective measures and investigated the factors that influence the willingness to pay. Methods A cross-sectional face-to-face household survey was completed by 637 urban long-term residents and 591 rural long-term residents aged 15-79 in Beijing, China. Binary logistic regression was used to identify factors that influenced the payment rate or payment amount for the protective measures, including independent variables for district, gender, age, education, income, air conditioner ownership, heat wave experience, and chronic non-communicable disease. Results The payment rate was 41.1% for protective measures provided by the government and 39.5% by measures provided by the market. Most of the respondents were willing to pay 40 CNY per capita annually for measures provided by the government or the market. The factors influencing willingness to pay were district, gender, income, air conditioner ownership, heat wave experience, and chronic non-communicable disease. Conclusion Protective measures for heat waves need to be provided immediately. More attention should be paid to the situation of vulnerable groups, such as people who live in urban areas, those without air conditioning, and those who have experienced a heat wave in the past.

Assessing the externalities of a ski resort in Tzoumerka:willingness to pay in order to promote or to prevent its construction

The present study aims to assess the externalities of a ski resort,that is planned to be built at Tzoumerka mountains,in Greece.The research relies on the Contingent Valuation method,which indirectly estimates the economic value of environmental and other nonmarket assets,based on the expressed preferences of members of a social group.The investigation was based on primary data.The core idea of questionnaire’s design,is subject to the use of a double WTP(willingness to pay)question,aiming at the monetary assessment of the attitude of the residents,regarding the upcoming infrastructure project,taking into account both its positive and its negative externalities.Depending on the attitude of the survey respondents,they were asked to decide if they wish to offer an amount of money either to promote or to prevent the construction of the ski resort.Parametric and non-parametric models were then applied in order to calculate in economic terms the expressed opinion of the respondents.The primary question to be answered is whether the willingness to build the ski resort holds a higher economic value than the desire to prevent it.According to the results of the survey,the vast majority of residents(92.4%)supported the idea of building the ski resort,projecting their apparent desire for the tourist and economic development of the area.The reinforcement of the construction idea of the project was estimated on average at €378,200.The very low proportion of the participants who disagreed with the project(5%),did not allow the economic assessment of its prevention,leaving room for further research into the application of Contingent Valuation method and its contribution in cost-benefit analysis and decision making,regarding upcoming projects.

Assessment of Willingness to Pay as a Source of Financing for the Sustainable Development of Barobbob Watershed in Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines

This study employed the Contingent Valuation Method to assess the willingness to pay of water users, as a source of financing for the sustainable development of Barobbob Watershed. The WTP study was conducted among 345 waters users in 19 barangays in the municipalities of Solano and Bayombong. Uncensored data revealed that 63.8% (58.84% for the adjusted) of the respondents revealed willingness to pay for improved watershed management. The mean WTP amount, estimated through a logit model, Turnbull Distributor-Free Estimator and Lower Bound Estimate, is found to be PhP39.35, PhP27.80 and PhP25.90/month/household, respectively. Respondents WTP is influenced by bid amount, age, membership in environmental organization, experience with water-related problems, civil status, house ownership, and awareness on the concept of watershed. Respondents were willing to pay because they wanted a sustainable water supply for the present and future generations. A payment scheme is possible and it could provide a sustainable flow of fund, however, the willingness percentages still needed to be increased. Community education and public awareness (CEPA) campaign is necessary to enhance the water users’ knowledge and understand about the importance and values of watersheds. Ultimately, WTP percentage and WTP amounts would increase.

Using Double-Bounded Dichotomous-Choice to Estimate Households’ Willingness to Pay for Improved Water Quality in Bac Ninh Province of Vietnam

This study used double-bounded dichotomous-choice to estimate and analyze the factors affecting households’ willingness to pay (WTP) for water quality improvement. This study notes that households with higher income, living near a polluted water source, using tap water instead of natural water, who are handicraft producers, and who have more members, are willing to pay more. However, households who rarely hear about environmental pollution issues and who are offered a higher bid are more likely to refuse to pay. Solutions to improve water quality are suggested such as to raise people’s awareness through communication channels and social organizations;to increase income associated with environmental protection policies;to construct wastewater treatment plants;to encourage the relocation of production establishments to industrial parks and industrial complexes;to put regulations on collection, payment and sanctions in case of not declaring and paying fees into village conventions;to promulgate circulars, and bylaws to concretize and simplify regulations and policies of the Government and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

Farmers' Willingness-to-Pay for Environment and Human Health and Adoption of IPM

Although chemical control of pests increases crop production, it brings a lot of damage to environment and human health. There exist a number of alternative methods that are not so harmful to environment and human health. However, whether and how much in extent these technologies adopted are plausible depends on the comparison of benefit-cost between chemical control and the alternative control methods (such as Integrated Pest Management, IPM) and farmers' willingness-to-pay (WTP) for envirorment and human health. Using contingent valuation method (CVM), the author investigates farmers' WTP for environment and human health, recognizes the factors influencing WTP, and accordingly points out the importance of pest control technology extension and government regulation of pesticides.

Preserving environmental quality of ecotourism sites through community participation in Purulia District of West Bengal,India

The importance of valuing environmental resources,especially in ecotourism sites,has become increasingly important over the last two decades.Ecotourism is now considered as an important source of livelihood of local stakeholders in backward regions.Therefore,the preservation of ecotourism sites through community participation seems very important to maintain continued flow of tourists.This study aimed at recognizing the importance of community participation for the preservation of ecotourism sites.For this,this study executed a survey based on non-probability sampling in two ecotourism sites(Garpanchkot and Baranti)covering 100 respondents in Purulia District,West Bengal of India.The central issue of this study was to assess the tendency of community participation for the conservation of ecotourism sites and find the optimum condition for offering participatory labour time.This study showed that the participation of young people is high,and the majority of respondents are aware of the importance in protecting ecotourism sites.Because respondents were too poor to offer money,the contingent valuation method(CVM)was used to elicit their willingness to pay(WTP)participatory labour time for the conservation of ecotourism sites.Respondents’age,income,education level,caste,and their perceived environmental quality had significant relationship with their WTP participatory labour time by applying the ordinary least square(OLS)model.It was found that the mean WTP participatory labour time of each respondent in a month is approximately 3.64 h.The significance of this study is that community participation can improve the sense of belonging,trust,and credibility of ecotourism sites,making them more appreciative of the value and protection of these sites.

Preference and Willingness of Consumers to Pay for Value-added Poultry Products in Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

There has been a steady growth in demand for convenience and ready-cooked food has influenced the interest of poultry processors in developing value-added chicken products that meet consumers＇ demand/choice. A conjoint analysis was done in this study on the survey of 975 chicken consumers in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria, between March and September, 2014 to valuate consumers, preferences and willingness to pay （WTP） for various chicken attributed parts, production method, processing method, storage method, the presence of flavor and cooking method. The estimates of consumers, WTP premium prices for various mixtures of value-added characteristics were ascertained. The consumers preferred chicken products refrigerated, from chicken produced under free-range management, chicken breast, chicken product that was addictive and flavor free, which could be oven-heated or pan heated. One half of the entire respondents were willing to pay about 25% more for value-added chicken product over the price for conventional products. On the whole, a premium for value-added chicken products was more likely to be paid for by young consumers, consumers who patronized farmers＇ markets and preferred free-range or organic chicken products. WTP by consumers was negatively affected by price of products. The poultry industry could utilize combined knowledge of consumers＇ WTP for value-added chicken product price as a guide of develop innovative value-added chicken products.

Willingness to pay for environmental protection in China:Air pollution,perception,and government involvement

The deteriorating environment has become an urgent global problem.As developing country,China is no exception.Demand for clean air is increasing in response to health and social problems.We use China's micro household survey data to explore individual residents'willingness to pay for environmental protection(WTP).Results show that air pollution improves WTP.A 100​μg/m^(³)increase in PM_(2.5)leads to approximately 84.1%WTP on a given day,but local residents are habituated to local pollution.We further study air pollution affects individual perceptions.We discuss the belief that local governments take pollution seriously can promote WTP.In addition,respondents who own smartphones,demonstrate environmental awareness,are happier,and enjoy higher household assets and income are willing to pay more.

An Application of ＇Willingness to Pay＇ Method as a Quantifier for Environmental Impact Assessment

The preservation/restoration of natural environment is frequently entailing excessive cost （paid by people through taxation） while it is a source of additional income for both, the State and the people, due to tourism. Since the evaluation of this good cannot be in market terms, it is applied here in a modified version of the CVM （Contingent Valuation Method）, which is used in experimental economics in order to investigate the significance that people put on this good and how much they might be WTP （Willing to Pay） for supporting activities concerning the preservation/restoration of Lake Kastoria. The WTP dependence on （i） external diseconomies; （ii） the expectations for property values＇ rise as a result of the restoration; （iii） the proximity of interviewees＇ residence to the lake; （iv） the opinion of the interviewee on the time and money spent to visit the lake; （v） the time and money the interviewees spent to visit the lake, as well as other dependencies （all taken as independent variables） are estimated by means oflogit, probit, logistic and linear regression models. The optimal concentration Copt of a pollutant in the environment can be determined as an equilibrium point in the tradeoff between （i） environmental cost, due to impact on man/ecosystem/economy; and （ii） economic cost for environmental protection, as it can be expressed by Pigouvian tax. These two conflict variables are internalized within the same techno-economic objective function of total cost, which is minimized. In this work, the first conflict variable is represented by a WTP index. A methodology is developed for the estimation of this index by using fuzzy sets to count for uncertainty. Implementation of this methodology is presented, concerning odor pollution of air round an olive pomace oil mill.

Beneficiaries’ Willingness to Pay for Resuscitation Provided by Ambulance Attendants: A Survey Using the Contingent Valuation Approach

Background: Japanese emergency medical services (EMS) can be used by anyone for free. Recently, EMS usage has increased;the increased costs and the prolonged time for ambulance transport have become recent social problems. Objective: We surveyed the willingness to pay (WTP) for resuscitation provided by EMS. Methods: In November 2011, men and women (3160) aged 20 - 59 years were asked to assume that they were experiencing a cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA), and their WTP for EMS services was assessed in the following three situations: Case A, ambulance transport alone;Case B, chest compression in addition to ambulance transport;and Case C, artificial ventilation through chest compression and intratracheal intubation, in addition to ambulance transport. We calculated the mean WTP for each case. Results: The WTP for Case A, B, and C were ￥6,696 ($65.0), ￥16,081 ($156.1), and ￥27,505 ($267.0), respectively. The WTP for Case B was significantly higher in respondents aged 40 - 59 years compared to those aged 20 - 39 years. The WTP for case B and C were significantly higher in males compared to females. WTP was significantly lower in students than it was in private employees. Although women’s intention to pay was higher than that of men, their WTP was lower than that of men. Public employees’ and students’ intention to pay was significantly lower than that of private employees. Conclusions: Our study provides information about the optimal fee for EMS, which will be useful for discussions on the feasibility of introducing a fee for EMS in Japan.

Household Perceptions, Willingness to Pay, Benefit Package Preferences, Health System Readiness for National Health Insurance Scheme in Southern Nigeria

Introduction: Several Nigerians are completely denied access to adequate health care because of cultural, temporal and financial factors with inequity. Objectives: To ascertain the household perceptions, willingness to pay, benefit package preferences, and health systems readiness for Insurance Scheme. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 400 heads of households and 43 health workers in Enugu, Southern Nigeria. Results: Awareness of NHIS among the heads of household was 56.8%, while it was 86% among the health workers. Awareness of NHIS among heads of households was significantly associated to both educational level (X2 = 16.083, P = 0.001), and occupation (X2 = 5.694, P = 0.017). More males (61.6%) had correct perceptions of NHIS compared to females (58.6%), but not statistically significant (X2 = 0.336, P = 0.562). Majority of households respondents 89% are willing to pay for NHIS. Willingness to pay was significantly associated to occupation (X2 = 5.169, df = 1, P = 0.023), but willingness to pay mandatory 5% premium was not significantly associated to occupation (X2 = 0.884, P = 347). Only 11.6% of the health facilities are enlisted as providers in the scheme. Conclusion: Willingness to pay was high, but majority are not ready to pay 5% premium of their earnings. Awareness creation programmes should be improved for the public, and more health facilities enlisted for wider coverage.

Latent Class Approach to Estimate the Willingness to Pay for Transit User Information

The aim of analysis is to understand how unreliable information influences user behaviour and how much it discourages public transport use. For this purpose, a Stated Preference Survey was carried out in order to know the preferences of public transport users relating to information needs and uncertainty on the information provided by Advanced Traveller Information System (ATIS). The perceived uncertainty is defined as information inaccuracy. In our study, we considered the difference between forecasted or scheduled waiting time at the bus stop and/or metro station provided by ATIS, and that experienced by user, to catch the bus and/or metro. A questionnaire was submitted to an appropriate sample of Palermo’s population. A Latent Class Logit model was calibrated, taking into account attributes of cost, information inaccuracy, travel time, waiting time, and cut-offs in order to reveal preference heterogeneity in the perceived information. The calibrated model showed various sources of preference heterogeneity in the perceived information of public transport users as highlighted by the analysis reported. Finally, the willingness to pay was estimated, confirming a great sensitivity to the perceived information, provided by ATIS.