Public Preferences and Willingness to Pay for Invasive Forest Pest Prevention Programs in Urban Areas
Invasive forest pests can cause environmental and economic damage amounting to billions of dollars (US) in lost revenues, restoration and response costs, and the loss of ecosystem services nationwide. Unfortunately, these forest pests do not stay confined to wildland forest areas and can spread into...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-09-01
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| Series: | Forests |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/11/10/1056 |
| _version_ | 1797552148144193536 |
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| author | Damian C. Adams José R. Soto John Lai Francisco J. Escobedo Sergio Alvarez Abu S.M.G. Kibria |
| author_facet | Damian C. Adams José R. Soto John Lai Francisco J. Escobedo Sergio Alvarez Abu S.M.G. Kibria |
| author_sort | Damian C. Adams |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Invasive forest pests can cause environmental and economic damage amounting to billions of dollars (US) in lost revenues, restoration and response costs, and the loss of ecosystem services nationwide. Unfortunately, these forest pests do not stay confined to wildland forest areas and can spread into suburban and urban areas, imposing significant costs on local governments, homeowners, and management agencies. In this study, a contingent valuation experiment is used to estimate Florida residents’ willingness to pay (WTP) a monthly utility fee that would protect urban forests from invasive pests by implementing a monitoring and prevention program for their early detection and eradication. On average, the respondents are WTP US $5.44 per month to implement the surveillance program, revealing an aggregate WTP in the order of US $540 million per year. The results also reveal that respondents are sensitive to the scope of the program, with higher rates of participation and higher WTP for a program that is more effective at preventing forest pest invasions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T15:55:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5f16763f6c9d48448e53f6e0fffe8edb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4907 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T15:55:52Z |
| publishDate | 2020-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forests |
| spelling | doaj.art-5f16763f6c9d48448e53f6e0fffe8edb2023-11-20T15:38:51ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072020-09-011110105610.3390/f11101056Public Preferences and Willingness to Pay for Invasive Forest Pest Prevention Programs in Urban AreasDamian C. Adams0José R. Soto1John Lai2Francisco J. Escobedo3Sergio Alvarez4Abu S.M.G. Kibria5School of Forest Resources & Conservation, University of Florida, P.O. Box 110410, Gainesville, FL 32611, USASchool of Natural Resources & The Environment, The University of Arizona, ENR2-N216, Tucson, AZ 85721, USAFood and Resource Economics Department, University of Florida, McCarty Hall B, Gainesville, FL 32603, USAUSDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, 4955 Canyon Crest Dr., Riverside, CA 92507, USARosen College of Hospitality Management and National Center for Integrated Coastal Research, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32819, USASchool of Natural Resources & The Environment, The University of Arizona, ENR2-N216, Tucson, AZ 85721, USAInvasive forest pests can cause environmental and economic damage amounting to billions of dollars (US) in lost revenues, restoration and response costs, and the loss of ecosystem services nationwide. Unfortunately, these forest pests do not stay confined to wildland forest areas and can spread into suburban and urban areas, imposing significant costs on local governments, homeowners, and management agencies. In this study, a contingent valuation experiment is used to estimate Florida residents’ willingness to pay (WTP) a monthly utility fee that would protect urban forests from invasive pests by implementing a monitoring and prevention program for their early detection and eradication. On average, the respondents are WTP US $5.44 per month to implement the surveillance program, revealing an aggregate WTP in the order of US $540 million per year. The results also reveal that respondents are sensitive to the scope of the program, with higher rates of participation and higher WTP for a program that is more effective at preventing forest pest invasions.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/11/10/1056urban forestnatural forestinvasive speciesurban residentsnon-market valuation |
| spellingShingle | Damian C. Adams José R. Soto John Lai Francisco J. Escobedo Sergio Alvarez Abu S.M.G. Kibria Public Preferences and Willingness to Pay for Invasive Forest Pest Prevention Programs in Urban Areas Forests urban forest natural forest invasive species urban residents non-market valuation |
| title | Public Preferences and Willingness to Pay for Invasive Forest Pest Prevention Programs in Urban Areas |
| title_full | Public Preferences and Willingness to Pay for Invasive Forest Pest Prevention Programs in Urban Areas |
| title_fullStr | Public Preferences and Willingness to Pay for Invasive Forest Pest Prevention Programs in Urban Areas |
| title_full_unstemmed | Public Preferences and Willingness to Pay for Invasive Forest Pest Prevention Programs in Urban Areas |
| title_short | Public Preferences and Willingness to Pay for Invasive Forest Pest Prevention Programs in Urban Areas |
| title_sort | public preferences and willingness to pay for invasive forest pest prevention programs in urban areas |
| topic | urban forest natural forest invasive species urban residents non-market valuation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/11/10/1056 |
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