The Value of Forest Conservation for Water Quality Protection

Forests

Melissa M. Kreye²  Damian C. Adams¹ 

[1] School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, P.O. Box 110410 Gainesville, FL 32611, USA;

关键词: benefit transfer;    conservation easement;    ecosystem services and goods;    forest conservation policies;    water quality;    willingness-to-pay;   

DOI  :  10.3390/f5050862

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Forests protect water quality by reducing soil erosion, sedimentation, and pollution; yet there is little information about the economic value of conserving forests for water quality protection in much of the United States. To assess this value, we conducted a meta-analysis of willingness-to-pay (WTP) for protecting unimpaired waters, and econometrically determined several significant drivers of WTP: type of conservation instrument (tool), aquatic resource type, geographic context, spatial scale, time, and household income. Using a benefit transfer to two highly forested sites, we illustrate the importance of these factors on WTP for water quality protection programs, forest conservation and policy design.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2014 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.