Wildlife-Based Tourism and Increased Support for Nature Conservation Financially and otherwise: Evidence from Sea Turtle Ecotourism at Mon Repos

Abstract

The arguments of most conservationists supporting ecotourism have been based on the view that it is environmentally friendly as a resource-use and that receipts from it can counter demands to use the natural resources involved for more extractive economic purposes. But wildlife-based ecotourism can also have positive impacts in itself on the willingness of tourists to pay for wildlife conservation, strengthen the pro-conservation attitudes of tourists, and foster personal actions by them that contribute to wildlife conservation. These aspects are explored in this article on the basis of a survey of tourists visiting Mon Repos Beach near Bundaberg, Queensland, for the purpose of watching marine turtles. The results enable several of the conservation impacts of this experience on tourists to be quantified, and highlight important relationships between specific socioeconomic variables and the willingness of tourists to pay for the protection of sea turtles. Furthermore, it is shown that the on-site experiences of ecotourists have positive impacts on the willingness of tourists to pay for the conservation of wildlife, and that willingness to pay is sensitive to whether or not wildlife is seen. It is suggested that in situ ecotourism is likely to be a more powerful force for fostering pro-conservation attitudes and actions among visitors than ex situ wildlife-based tourism in aquaria and zoos.

The non-consumptive value of selected marine species at Table Mountain National Park: An exploratory study

“…The reason for this is probably the uniqueness of each species and the differences in the likelihood of seeing a particular species. In contrast to findings mentioned in the literature review Tsi et al 2008;Aziz et al 2010), this research does not confirm that income influences willingness to pay, and therefore this study does not clearly support research by Tisdell and Wilson (2001), Tsi et al (2008) and Aziz et al (2010). In terms of age, the results are inconclusive.…”

“…These and several other studies do not, however, address the question raised by this research. The only similar studies are those by Hadkler, Sharma, David and Muraleedharan (1997), Tsi et al (2008), Aziz et al (2010), Tisdell and Wilson (2001), and Wilson and Tisdell (2001). However, of these studies, it was only Tisdell and Wilson (2001) who did research on marine species, namely sea turtles.…”

“…The survey used a five-section questionnaire adapted from Tisdell and Wilson (2001) and Aziz et al (2010). The guidelines for performing CV studies by the NOAA Report were also followed (see Arrow et al, 1993).…”

Factors Influencing the Willingness to Pay for Entrance Permit: The Evidence from Taman Negara National Park

“…For example, Woehr and Cavell (1993) used it to predict the test score in an introductory psychology class. In tourism, there are several examples of studies using MR. Tisdell and Wilson (2000) used this method to identify several factors that had influenced WTP among visitors to a conservation programme for sea turtles in Mon Repos, Australia. In this study, the qualification of education was found to be the most important factor, followed by income and donations contributed towards conservation.…”

Environmental and Pro-Social Norms: Evidence from 30 Countries

“…In contrast, studies linking improved environmental behavior, or higher willingness to pay for environmental preservation with education, knowledge, environmental awareness and prior experience are well established in the environmental economics literature (cf. Tisdell and Wilson, 2001). This may be explained by the unavailability of quality survey data, although the concept itself may not be new to researchers in environmental economics.…”