Browsing by Subject "Contingent valuation method"

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    Economic valuation of allotment gardens in peri-urban degraded agroecosystems: the role of citizens’ preferences in spatial planning
    (Elsevier, 2021-02-15) Albaladejo García, José Antonio; Alcon, Francisco; Martínez Paz, José Miguel; Economía Aplicada; Facultad de Economía y Empresa
    Allotment gardens (AGs), one of the basic types of urban gardening, provide goods and services to the urban population beyond food supply. Therefore, the efficient planning and management of AGs must take into account both the social welfare provided by the ecosystem services (ES) associated with these spaces and spatial considerations. The distance of the AGs from the citizens, their accessibility and the presence of substitutes are aspects that have not been studied extensively in the scientific literature. In this context, this paper evaluates the creation of AGs in a peri-urban degraded agroecosystem in Murcia (SE-Spain). To this end, the values of ES are quantified economically, as are the influences of the socio-economic and spatial characteristics. A survey was undertaken on a representative sample of households in Murcia city, from which the willingness to pay (WTP) for owning an AG and the factors influencing the valuation were determined. The results indicate that provisioning services are the ES valued most highly, followed by regulating and cultural ES. The valuation of the project for the whole population is 5.4 €/household/month, with a WTP of 17.2 €/household/month for owning an AG plot. Multivariate analysis showed the importance of ES and spatial factors in this valuation. This WTP spatial study shows the existence of local patterns to be considered in the evaluation of new AGs location alternatives. These results will be useful to urban planners in their decision making.
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    Understanding socio-spatial perceptions and Badlands ecosystem services valuation. Is there any welfare in soil erosion?
    (Elsevier, 2023-03-06) Albaladejo García, José Antonio; Alcon, Francisco; Martínez-Carrasco Pleite, Federico; Martínez Paz, José Miguel; Economía Aplicada
    Badlands are one of the dryland ecosystems where the absence of the regulating ecosystem service (ES) of erosion control enables the provision of cultural ESs, which include, among others, a singular landscape. The lack of consideration of the social value of these areas, due to their low productive value and low biodiversity, has led to their transformation and disappearance. At the same time, the scientific literature that deals with social preferences for the management of these ecosystems is scarce, despite the need to manage these spaces to face the future adverse effects of climate change. This gap can be reduced by establishing a framework for the socio-economic valuation of the Badlands. Therefore, these paper aims to evaluate the social demand for the implementation of management measures to ensure Badlands protection, using as a case study the Region of Murcia Badlands (SE Spain). To this end, a survey was carried out among a representative sample of households in this region; the willingness to pay (WTP) to protect such singular ecosystems and the factors that influence their valuation were studied, especially the spatial component, analysing in detail the protest behaviour (PB). The results show a strong PB in the population (44.29 % of the sample), with a mean WTP of 15.93 €/household/year. Despite the population's preference for the promotion of regulating ESs in eroded areas in general, cultural ESs are more important in the case of Badlands, positively in terms of WTP and negatively for PB. Spatial factors were found to be of great importance in the valuation, showing the existence of local patterns. These results will help decision-makers to achieve more efficient and socially accepted spatial planning in the management of singular eroded areas.