scholarly journals Tourists’ perceptions and willingness to pay for the control of Opuntia stricta invasion in protected areas: A case study from South Africa

Koedoe ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Natasha Nikodinoska ◽  
Llewellyn C. Foxcroft ◽  
Mathieu Rouget ◽  
Alessandro Paletto ◽  
Sandra Notaro
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Willingness To Pay ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Control Programme ◽  
Alien Plants ◽  
Invasive Alien Plants ◽  
Alien Plant ◽  
North West ◽  
Negative Impacts

Invasive alien plants have a long history of establishment in the national parks of South Africa.In particular, Opuntia stricta (sour prickly pear) has invaded several protected areas in thecountry, threatening the biodiversity conservation mandate of these conservation areas. Thisarticle focuses on the economic estimation of O. stricta’s negative impacts in protected areas byusing Contingent Valuation surveys conducted amongst a sample of tourists in the PilanesbergNational Park (North West Parks and Tourism Board, South Africa). Tourists’ familiarity andawareness of selected invasive alien plants and their willingness to pay for the implementationof a control programme for O. stricta were assessed. The results show that many tourists arefamiliar with invasive alien plants and their (positive and negative) impacts and, in particular,perceived the presence of O. stricta to be negative, due to the impacts on aesthetics and recreation.Socio-demographic characteristics, as well as individual attitudes and biocentric beliefs, have aninfluence on the willingness to contribute financially to a control programme for O. stricta. Theindividual willingness to pay assessment found that the majority of respondents (78%) werewilling to pay a higher entrance fee (an additional R57.30 or $7.00 per day) for a hypotheticalprogramme to control the invasion of O. stricta in the Pilanesberg National Park.Conservation implications: The willingness of tourists to pay for O. stricta managementprovides useful insights in the decision-making process of park management. The resultsare encouraging, since, in general, tourists are aware of the problem and are in support ofproviding additional economic input for preventing future alien plant invasions.

scholarly journals Online appendix 1:Tourists’ perceptions and willingness to pay for the control of Opuntia stricta invasion in protected areas: A case study from South Africa

Koedoe ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Natasha Nikodinoska ◽  
Llewellyn C. Foxcroft ◽  
Mathieu Rouget ◽  
Alessandro Paletto ◽  
Sandra Notaro
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Willingness To Pay ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Control Programme ◽  
Alien Plants ◽  
Invasive Alien Plants ◽  
Alien Plant ◽  
North West ◽  
Negative Impacts

Invasive alien plants have a long history of establishment in the national parks of South Africa.In particular, Opuntia stricta (sour prickly pear) has invaded several protected areas in thecountry, threatening the biodiversity conservation mandate of these conservation areas. Thisarticle focuses on the economic estimation of O. stricta’s negative impacts in protected areas byusing Contingent Valuation surveys conducted amongst a sample of tourists in the PilanesbergNational Park (North West Parks and Tourism Board, South Africa). Tourists’ familiarity andawareness of selected invasive alien plants and their willingness to pay for the implementationof a control programme for O. stricta were assessed. The results show that many tourists arefamiliar with invasive alien plants and their (positive and negative) impacts and, in particular,perceived the presence of O. stricta to be negative, due to the impacts on aesthetics and recreation.Socio-demographic characteristics, as well as individual attitudes and biocentric beliefs, have aninfluence on the willingness to contribute financially to a control programme for O. stricta. Theindividual willingness to pay assessment found that the majority of respondents (78%) werewilling to pay a higher entrance fee (an additional R57.30 or $7.00 per day) for a hypotheticalprogramme to control the invasion of O. stricta in the Pilanesberg National Park.Conservation implications: The willingness of tourists to pay for O. stricta managementprovides useful insights in the decision-making process of park management. The resultsare encouraging, since, in general, tourists are aware of the problem and are in support ofproviding additional economic input for preventing future alien plant invasions.

scholarly journals Alien plant species list and distribution for Camdeboo National Park, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Koedoe ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mmoto L. Masubelele ◽  
Llewellyn C. Foxcroft ◽  
Suzanne J. Milton
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
Alien Plants ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Alien Plant Species ◽  
Invasive Alien Plants ◽  
Species List ◽  
Alien Plant

Protected areas globally are threatened by the potential negative impacts that invasive alien plants pose, and Camdeboo National Park (CNP), South Africa, is no exception. Alien plants have been recorded in the CNP since 1981, before it was proclaimed a national park by South African National Parks in 2005. This is the first publication of a list of alien plants in and around the CNP. Distribution maps of some of the first recorded alien plant species are also presented and discussed. To date, 39 species of alien plants have been recorded, of which 13 are invasive and one is a transformer weed. The majority of alien plant species in the park are herbaceous (39%) and succulent (24%) species. The most widespread alien plant species in the CNP are Atriplex inflata (= A. lindleyi subsp. inflata), Salsola tragus (= S. australis) and cacti species, especially Opuntia ficus-indica. Eradication and control measures that have been used for specific problematic alien plant species are described. Conservation implications: This article represents the first step in managing invasive alien plants and includes the collation of a species list and basic information on their distribution in and around the protected area. This is important for enabling effective monitoring of both new introductions and the distribution of species already present. We present the first species list and distribution information for Camdeboo National Park.

The valuation of elephant sightings in protected areas.

2021 ◽  
pp. 191-203
Author(s):  
Andrea Saayman ◽  
Melville Saayman
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Willingness To Pay ◽  
Contingent Valuation ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Big Five ◽  
The Other ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Preferred Species

Abstract The research presented in this chapter determines the value that tourists on safari in protected areas in South Africa attach to elephant sightings and the relative importance of the elephant sighting compared with the other species in the Big Five. The study also determines whether tourists take the increased poaching of elephants - also in South Africa - into account when revealing their choice. Using information from five surveys conducted at different parks in South Africa from 2011 to 2013 and again in 2019, the elephant was found to be the fourth preferred species in the Big Five. The exception is Addo Elephant National Park, where the elephants are the second most preferred species. To determine the value that tourists attached to a sighting, contingent valuation was used. Although approximately a quarter to a third of respondents indicated positive amounts for a sighting across the years, the mean willingness to pay (WTP) reflects the scarcity of the species. The elephant is relatively abundant in all the parks and, in many instances, much easier to spot than the leopard or lion. It is therefore not surprising that the mean valuation of a sighting is much lower than that of the leopard and lion throughout all the years. Although tougher economic conditions in the country also influence WTP, it was found that tourists to South Africa's National Parks do not yet take the increased poaching of elephants into account when revealing their choice, nor in their valuation.

scholarly journals Invasive alien plants in Polish national parks—threats to species diversity

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e8034 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Bomanowska ◽  
Wojciech Adamowski ◽  
Izabella Kirpluk ◽  
Anna Otręba ◽  
Agnieszka Rewicz
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Invasive Plants ◽  
National Park ◽  
Alien Plants ◽  
Alien Plant Species ◽  
Alien Plant ◽  
Reynoutria Japonica ◽  
Invasive Alien Plant

Due to the relevance of protected areas to the conservation of native biota, the magnitude of invasions and threats posed by alien plants are currently important issues for the preservation of these areas. The paper summarises data on invasive alien plant species presence in the most valuable protected areas in Poland, i.e. national parks (NPs). We investigated the distribution of invasive alien plant species and management attempts concerning those species. We analysed data obtained from 23 national parks originating from published and unpublished sources. Invasive plants were present in all protected areas analysed, from two to 42 species in a particular national park, and 68 in total. The most widely distributed species were: Impatiens parviflora (present in 19 NPs), I. glandulifera (17), Solidago gigantea (17), Reynoutria japonica (17), and Robinia pseudoacacia (16). The conducted analyses showed that the number of invasive species decreased with the higher altitude (asl) of the national park. The most often managed species were Impatiens glandulifera (being removed in seven NPs), I. parviflora (six), Padus serotina (four) and Quercus rubra (four). In the majority of NPs, control activities are limited to small areas and singular species, thus having an incidental character. Only in five objects (Białowieża NP, Biebrza NP, Kampinos NP, Tuchola NP, Wigry NP), management has been focused on several species. We conclude that a lack of comprehensive management of invasive plant species in the majority of national parks currently limits the effectiveness of IAS (invasive alien species) eradication. Exchange of expertise among protected areas, documenting best practice examples, synthesising lessons learnt in IAS management, as well as the development of minimum standards for invasive plants surveillance and management are pivotal.

scholarly journals Farmers’ Willingness to Pay for Index-Based Livestock Insurance in the North West of South Africa

Climate ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 47
Author(s):  
Oluwaseun Samuel Oduniyi ◽  
Michael Akwasi Antwi ◽  
Sibongile Sylvia Tekana
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Willingness To Pay ◽  
Heat Waves ◽  
Contingent Valuation Method ◽  
Sample Selection ◽  
Rural Livelihoods ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
North West ◽  
The North

Rural livelihoods in most developing countries are threatened by climate-related risks such as drought, flood, heat waves, storms, and so on. Although farmers have adopted several adaptation strategies, they have proven less effective than hoped. Hence, index-based livestock insurance, an innovation that significantly assists farmers to acclimatise to climate-related risks, has been proposed; and its adaptability has attracted a notable increase in other African countries. However, the success of its adoption is dependent on the inclination of the farmers to pay for the service. Accordingly, this study investigates their willingness to pay for index-based livestock insurance and its determinants, and the factors influencing the total livestock units to be insured in the North West province of South Africa. Cross-sectional data were obtained from 277 cattle farmers, drawn randomly from the study area. The contingent valuation method was applied to determine the farmers’ willingness to pay; and only 10.8% were willing to pay. Simultaneously, the Heckit sample selection model was used to analyse the data to identify the factors responsible for farmers’ willingness to pay and total livestock units to insure. The findings revealed that farmer’s experience, age, education, marital status, awareness of insurance and household dependents were statistically significant, and influenced the maximum price R600 ($42, max willingness to pay, WTP) of those who accepted index-based livestock insurance. However, by implication, the study concluded that to adopt index-based livestock insurance in the study area among the livestock farmers, there should be policies to cater for the aforementioned factors.

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