Forest parks are the main tourism sources in Iran. Growing population, traditional patterns changing, urban environmental contamination and emergent need of leisure times highlighted the importance of this issue. This study aimed to estimate the willingness to pay (WTP) and non-market values of Kabudval Forest Park of Golestan province. For this purpose, the contingent valuation (CV) method based on the maximum likelihood logit regression model was used. The required data were obtained from 152 visitors to the park that were randomly selected in different seasons. Results indicated that the average of WTP for each individual to protect the park was calculated to be 34,850 Rials. Also, considering the total area of the park to be 109 hectares and 400,000 annual visitors, the recreational value of each hectare has been obtained 12,787,400 Rials annually. Also, the elasticities of income, education, age, and household size variables showed a significant effect on the WTP for the recreational use of the aforementioned study area. The location of the Negarestan storage dam and the Kabudval full moss waterfall in this park has increased the attractiveness of this park compared to other forest parks.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.