Improving the management of Taiwanese fishery resource conservation zones based on public perceptions and willingness to pay for ecosystem services

Abstract In order to integrate ecosystem services (ES) in designing agri-environmental policy, we investigated both the demand for, and supply of, ES from agricultural environments in Finland. Using the discrete choice experiment method, we measured citizens’ willingness to pay (WTP) for four different ES and analysed farmers’ compensation request (willingness to accept [WTA]) for producing these services. Biodiversity and water quality gathered the highest WTA of farmers, but also the highest WTP of citizens. Overall, the average WTA exceeded the WTP for almost all attributes and levels, but 20–27 per cent of farmers were willing to produce the ES with the compensation lower than citizens’ WTP.

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Linking ecological red lines and public perceptions of ecosystem services to manage the ecological environment: A case study in the Fenghe River watershed of Xi’an

Ecological Indicators ◽

10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.106218 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 113 ◽

pp. 106218 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Hongjuan Zhang ◽

Qian Pang ◽

Yawei Hua ◽

Xiaoxuan Li ◽

Kang Liu

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Public Perceptions ◽

Ecological Environment ◽

River Watershed

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Heterogeneity in Ecosystem Service Values: Linking Public Perceptions and Environmental Policies

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12031217 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 1217 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yuan Pan ◽

Yue Che ◽

Stuart Marshall ◽

Lorraine Maltby

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Rural Communities ◽

Urban Communities ◽

Ecosystem Service ◽

Public Perception ◽

Environmental Policies ◽

Public Perceptions ◽

Rural Regions ◽

Cultural Ecosystem Service ◽

The City

One way of linking research and environmental policies is to increase public participation and identify ecosystem services valued by society, but the reasons influencing ecosystem values can vary. Our study investigates the reasons influencing ecosystem service values at the third largest freshwater lake in China, Lake Tai (Taihu). We interviewed 257 rural and 257 urban respondents in four cities and their respective rural regions surrounding the lake. Respondents were more willing to pay to protect a provisioning ecosystem service than a cultural ecosystem service, and those emotionally attached to the lake may value it more highly. There is also spatial heterogeneity in respondents’ ecosystem values. Rural communities ranked directly used ecosystem services higher than urban communities. The city that respondents lived in also significantly affected the amount they were willing to pay for ecosystem services. Identifying potential reasons behind ecosystem service values can provide insights into linking public perception and policy making, helping to form environmental policies that reflect societal values.

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Urban Vegetation Types are Not Perceived Equally in Providing Ecosystem Services and Disservices

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12052076 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 2076 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Zuzana Drillet ◽

Tze Fung ◽

Rachel Leong ◽

Uma Sachidhanandam ◽

Peter Edwards ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Air Quality ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Online Survey ◽

Secondary Forest ◽

Public Perceptions ◽

Urban Vegetation ◽

Vegetation Types ◽

Regulating Services ◽

Planning And Management

Urban vegetation is important in providing ecosystem services to people. Different urban vegetation types provide contrasting suites of ecosystem services and disservices. Understanding public perceptions of the ecosystem services and disservices can therefore play an important role in shaping the planning and management of urban areas. We conducted an online survey (n = 1000) to understand how residents in the tropical city of Singapore perceived urban vegetation and the associated ecosystem services and disservices. The questionnaire was designed to explore whether different urban vegetation types (grass, shrubs, trees, trees over shrubs, and secondary forest) were perceived as equal in providing benefits. Respondents considered ecosystem services provided by urban vegetation to be more important than disservices. Among ecosystem services, regulating services were most highly rated, with more than 80% of the respondents appreciating urban vegetation for providing shade and improving air quality. Respondents recognized that different vegetation types provided different ecosystem services. For example, secondary forest was most commonly associated with education and wildlife, while trees were strongly associated with cooling and air quality. We conclude that in developing plans and designs for urban vegetation and ecosystem services, it is important to understand the perceptions, priorities, and concerns of residents.

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Bias in evaluating the effects of marine protected areas: the importance of baseline data for the Galapagos Marine Reserve

Environmental Conservation ◽

10.1017/s0376892904001584 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 31 (3) ◽

pp. 212-218 ◽

Cited By ~ 58

Author(s):

G.J. EDGAR ◽

R.H. BUSTAMANTE ◽

J.-M. FARIÑA ◽

M. CALVOPIÑA ◽

C. MARTÍNEZ ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

Marine Protected Areas ◽

Marine Reserve ◽

Baseline Data ◽

Important Species ◽

Fishery Resource ◽

Political Processes ◽

High Level ◽

Conservation Zones ◽

Galapagos Marine Reserve

Analysis of ecological baseline data collected for key resource species within the Galapagos Marine Reserve indicates that variation in animal density associated with the location of fully protected zones can be comparable to protected area effects. Even with a high level of interspersion between conservation, tourism and fishing management zones, major differences in densities of economically important species were evident between zone types prior to enforcement of fishing restrictions. Densities of the most valuable fishery resource, sea cucumbers, were three times higher in zones that remained open to fishing compared to ‘no-take’ conservation zones, and densities of sharks were five times higher in tourism zones than fishing or conservation zones. These results highlight bias in the socio-political processes that can accompany selection of marine protected areas, where fishers attempt to minimize perceived impacts on their livelihood by locating large protected zones in resource-poor areas, and tourism operators and sport divers argue for protection of areas containing atypically-interesting features. Bias in the location of fully protected zones can seriously confound ‘control-impact’ field investigations when data prior to prohibitions on fishing are lacking, including meta-analyses, which are dominated by such potentially systematically biased studies.

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Managing urban ecological land as properties: Conceptual model, public perceptions, and willingness to pay

Resources Conservation and Recycling ◽

10.1016/j.resconrec.2018.01.038 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 133 ◽

pp. 21-29 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Yutao Wang ◽

Xiao Li ◽

Mingxing Sun ◽

Huajun Yu

Keyword(s):

Willingness To Pay ◽

Conceptual Model ◽

Public Perceptions

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Public Preferences and Willingness to Pay for Invasive Forest Pest Prevention Programs in Urban Areas

Forests ◽

10.3390/f11101056 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (10) ◽

pp. 1056

Author(s):

Damian C. Adams ◽

José R. Soto ◽

John Lai ◽

Francisco J. Escobedo ◽

Sergio Alvarez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Willingness To Pay ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Local Governments ◽

Economic Damage ◽

Surveillance Program ◽

Forest Pest ◽

Forest Pests ◽

Public Preferences ◽

Invasive Pests

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.

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Overcoming human obstacles to conservation of recreational fishery resources, with emphasis on central Europe

Environmental Conservation ◽

10.1017/s0376892906002700 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 33 (1) ◽

pp. 46-59 ◽

Cited By ~ 83

Author(s):

ROBERT ARLINGHAUS

Keyword(s):

Central Europe ◽

Resource Use ◽

Systems Approach ◽

Resource Conservation ◽

Ecosystem Structure ◽

Recreational Fisheries ◽

Fishery Resource ◽

Fisheries Science ◽

Recreational Fishery ◽

Institutional Linkages

Recreational fisheries are the dominant or sole user of many coastal and most inland fish stocks in industrialized societies. Recreational angling can negatively affect fish populations, but appropriate management approaches to address these impacts are often lacking. Overall, privately-governed European recreational fisheries systems offer suitable conditions to reconcile resource use with resource conservation because access restriction is possible, decision-making structures are simple and management scales are small. This increases the hope that the race to fish may be less pronounced than in open-access commercial fisheries. To achieve harmony between use and conservation values, a thorough understanding of the human dimension is paramount, yet approaches including this are underrepresented in contemporary recreational fisheries science and management. Based on theoretical considerations, literature review and personal experiences, this paper presents key human obstacles to the reconciliation of recreational fishery resource use and resource conservation, with emphasis on private fishing rights regimes of central Europe. Nine obstacles are identified: (1) lack of social priority; (2) lack of integrated approaches; (3) lack of cooperative institutional linkages; (4) lack of systems thinking; (5) lack of research and monitoring; (6) lack of shared values and dominance of stereotyped perceptions; (7) lack of consideration for regional fish-angler dynamics; (8) lack of objective communication of scientific findings; and (9) lack of critical self-reflection among individual anglers. Potential solutions to overcome the identified constraints briefly discussed include: (1) evaluation of the socioeconomic benefits of angling; (2) rehabilitation of ecosystem structure and function on larger scales; (3) facilitation of structured cooperation between stakeholders and management units; (4) application of complex systems approach; (5) increased funding for long-term monitoring; (6) fostering of common values of different stake-holders; (7) active adaptive management of angling effort on regional scales; (8) intensified communication of research findings; and (9) conviction of anglers to meet personal targets by more restrictive regulations. Increasing research and management efforts related to the social component of recreational fisheries will improve reconciliation of resource use and resource conservation in traditional recreational fisheries management. It is a matter of societal values whether it is judged necessary to do so on a broader scale.

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