Economic valuation of cultural ecosystem services: The case of landscape aesthetics in the agritourism market

Landscape aesthetic research that emerged from the second half of the 20th century has become increasingly appreciated and popular in the last few decades. There are two main reasons for this. On the one hand, it was recognized the role of landscape aesthetics in land use and environmental planning, management and conservation. On the other hand, its definition among Cultural Ecosystem Services has made it clear that landscape aesthetics has significant impact on human well-being and there is a need to examine it in the concept of Ecosystem Services and, in particular, Cultural Ecosystem Services (CES). The mapping of landscape aesthetics is mostly based on the exclusive evaluation of objective, biophysical landscape factors. The aim of the research was to create the landscape aesthetic map of Hungary with a novel method based on human perception. For this, a questionnaire survey and a GIS approach were used. In order to better understand the role of factors influencing the aesthetic value of the landscape, value maps separately for land cover and elevation that are decisive for the landscape experience were prepared. To validate the results of the maps, and contribute a better understanding of the interrelationship between CES, a certain tourism product was chosen, and the connection between landscape aesthetics and the offer of rural tourism was examined in Hungary and in the Danube Bend priority tourism development area. Our findings show that there is a difference in the results of the objective (GIS-based) and subjective (questionnaire-based) assessment of landscape aesthetic value with the more important role of elevation in the latter. According to our tourism product-based analysis, which represents a niche approach in its kind, landscape values are higher in the areas with rural accommodation. At the same time, based on the results of the Danube Bend region, it can also be concluded that elevation and land cover together are crucial factors in landscapes considered to be the most valuable in aesthetic terms. The most direct practical application of our research is to orientate further tourism development of the new Danube Bend area designated in 2017.

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The Strategy of Coastal Eco-Tourism Based on Cultural Ecosystem Services Approach: A Case Study in Ciletuh Bay

Economic and Social of Fisheries and Marine ◽

10.21776/ub.ecsofim.2021.009.01.01 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 009 (01) ◽

pp. 1-15

Author(s):

Eka Yudhistira ◽

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Tridoyo Kusumastanto ◽

Luky Adrianto ◽

Fredinan Yulianda ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Social Economic ◽

Supply And Demand ◽

Economic Valuation ◽

Economic Value ◽

Cultural Ecosystem Services ◽

Sustainability Research ◽

The Government ◽

The Many

Ciletuh Bay has a natural magnificence that attracts local and foreign tourists. Tourist interest was reflected by the many visits demanding the government manage it properly to achieve social, economic, and ecological sustainability. Research on the assessment of cultural ecosystem services in Ciletuh Bay has not been carried out. At the same time, this is necessary for policymakers to maintain sustainable Ciletuh Bay coastal ecotourism. This study aims to estimate the value of cultural ecosystem services in Ciletuh Bay in two ways. The first method is assessing the balance of supply and demand for cultural ecosystem services that adopt the Burkhard Model, namely through individual preferences for the beauty of several types of landscapes in Ciletuh Bay. The second assessment is an economic valuation using the travel cost method (TCM). The results showed that the balance of supply and demand for cultural ecosystem services in Ciletuh Bay contained several types of landscapes in unstable conditions. The economic value of Ciletuh Bay coastal ecotourism is IDR 862,640,124,311.00/year or IDR 77,911,861.00/ha/year.

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Identifying and assigning values to the intangible cultural benefits of ecosystem services to traditional communities in South Africa

South African Journal of Science ◽

10.17159/sajs.2020/6970 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 116 (7/8) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Shaun Mowat ◽

Bruce Rhodes

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

South African ◽

Economic Valuation ◽

Well Being ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Evidence Base ◽

Cultural Ecosystem Services ◽

South African Society ◽

Traditional Communities

Cultural ecosystem services make an important and valuable contribution to human well-being. However, research efforts in relation to ecosystems do not reflect this value, with the majority focusing on provisioning service contributions in developed countries, with cultural services largely neglected. Consideration of the contribution and importance of these services in South Africa focuses on the more tangible cultural ecosystem services such as recreational and educational benefits, with a paucity of research on the more intangible aspects such as sense of identity, belonging and worship of the ancestors. This lack of research is out of keeping with evidence of an intimate and profound relationship between the land and traditional communities in South Africa. Here we reflect on the available evidence of the nature of cultural ecosystem services to traditional communities in South Africa, and consider one aspect of the global debate on cultural ecosystem services by analysing the suitability of two predominant methods of ascertaining their value – neoclassic economic valuation and deliberative approaches – in a South African context. The types and nature of the values associated with cultural ecosystems, and the way of life of traditional communities, suggest the use of deliberative approaches is better suited to this task. It is hoped that these discussions will encourage researchers from a range of disciplines to engage in furthering research efforts in this area, and improve the evidence base on identifying, assessing and valuing these services, which are of significant importance and value to many of the most marginalised and vulnerable members of South African society.

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