Applying contingent valuation to measure the economic value of forest services: a case study in Northern Jordan

Abstract

This paper reports an attempt to apply the contingent valuation method (CVM) to value ecosystem services in Jordan's northern forests. I employed the CVM to obtain an estimate for the population's willingness to pay (WTP) for restoration and conservation of services in this area. I sampled 300 rural households through in-person interviews, then applied two econometric models to examine the incentives for WTP. The aggregate present value benefit is 3,569,556 Jordanian Dinar for the whole of Jordan's northern forests; this valuation is based on the amount participants were willing to contribute to maintain forest ecosystem services. The conservation cost is assumed to reflect the direct value gained from human utilization of forest services. Results suggest a correlation between WTP and household income, as well as WTP and classification of services. I assess that income and forest service type most directly shaped participants' WTP for forest conservation. The study also indicates that the CVM can successfully be applied to Jordan and may be a viable and potentially useful direction for future research on environment valuation in other developing countries in the Middle East.

Households’ Willingness to Donate for the Conservation and Management of the Ayer Keroh Recreational Forest, Melaka

“…On the other hand, for income variables, a positive coefficient value suggested that the higher the household income, the greater the WTD for forest conservation and management. This conclusion is supported by another study, which illustrated that forest service type and income significantly influenced participants' willingness to pay for forest conservation (Al-Assaf., 2015).…”

Understanding the nexus between forest dependence and willingness to pay for forest conservation: case of forest dependent households in Kenya

“…Similarly, degradation of forests is likely to result in livelihood loss for forest-dependent households which further explain their higher WTP (Gatiso, 2019). Similar findings have been reported in Jordan where collection of forest products such as wild plants positively influenced WTP for forest services (Al-Assaf, 2015). These findings suggest that households involved in forest extraction have a higher likelihood to contribute both in-cash or labour for conservation of the resource.…”

Local Communities’ Willingness to Accept Compensation for Sustainable Ecosystem Management in Wadi Araba, South of Jordan

“…ESs provide direct benefits as well as indirect services, including the provision of food, water, and raw materials; the regulation services of fresh air and pure water; and aesthetic and spiritual attractions [2,3]. Studies on ESs values have been conducted at different scales from the national, regional, and global scales and in diverse areas, including forest, desert, wetland, and growing urbanizing areas [4][5][6][7]. Researchers have provided sufficient evidence indicating that many important ecosystems are facing threats of degradation, mostly attributed to climate change and population growth, which reflects the importance of valuing their impacts on ES within decisionmaking processes [8,9].…”

“…Presently, ESs are considered in the land management and decision-making process, which has helped in shaping the national projects in ecological development and urbanization or civilization [13]. Several studies have addressed ESs at the different geographic zones; for instance, studies were conducted to examine and value the ESs in forest ecosystems [5,6,[14][15][16]. Other national studies were conducted to estimate the ES value in arid areas (e.g., Wadi Araba (WA) in south-west Jordan), which demonstrated that WA harbors many valuable genetic plant resources that can be used for many purposes, including food, feed, energy, aesthetics, fiber, and medical.…”