Journal article
Visitor’s Willingness to Pay for Cultural Ecosystem Services in Bangladesh: An Assessment for Lawachara National Park, a Biodiversity Hotspot
Small-Scale Forestry, Vol.21(2), pp.185-201
2022
Abstract
The valuation of natural ecosystems helps policymakers to allocate adequate resources for the provision of ecosystem services they provide. Cultural ecosystem services are the non-material benefits we obtain from nature, which include but are not limited to recreation, aesthetic enjoyment, physical and mental health benefits. They are essential for a proper sense of a place, human health, and wellbeing. We quantified the recreational and other non-material benefits of Lawachara National Park (LNP), one of the oldest and most diverse forest protected areas and tourist attractions in northeast Bangladesh. A Modified Travel Cost Method (MTCM) was applied for quantifying the recreational and other non-material values of LNP. Altogether 309 respondents were interviewed, covering both peak season and slack season. In our MTCM, we considered several additional factors, unlike the commonly used Travel Cost Method (TCM). The value of cultural ecosystem services of LNP was estimated to be Taka 476.70 million and Taka 476.44 million per annum using MTCM and TCM, respectively. The value estimated using MTCM was marginally higher than the value estimated using TCM and was due to the additional variables we considered in our modified approach. We believe our estimates using MTCM will guide policymakers to properly value natural ecosystems and facilitate adequate resource allocation for ecotourism in LNP and elsewhere.
Details
- Title
- Visitor’s Willingness to Pay for Cultural Ecosystem Services in Bangladesh: An Assessment for Lawachara National Park, a Biodiversity Hotspot
- Authors
- Narayan Saha (Author) - Shahjalal University of Science and TechnologySharif A Mukul (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Tropical Forests & People Research Centre
- Publication details
- Small-Scale Forestry, Vol.21(2), pp.185-201
- Publisher
- Springer Netherlands
- Date published
- 2022
- DOI
- 10.1007/s11842-021-09494-5
- ISSN
- 1873-7854
- Organisation Unit
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; Tropical Forests & People Research Centre
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99586007102621
- Output Type
- Journal article
Metrics
13 Record Views
InCites Highlights
These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web Of Science research areas
- Forestry
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
Source: InCites