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Nature-based tourism offers several positive effects, including bringing tourists closer to nature and increasing environmental awareness among them, creating new sources of employment, diversifying local and regional economies, promoting the conservation of local ecosystems, and protecting biodiversity. A pilot exercise based on choice experiments is presented to estimate the monetary value per year of nature-based tourism (NbT). The exercise was applied in the Jamapa watershed in Mexico, and the results showed that NbT would amount to USD 7.7 million, with tourism activities linked to agroforestry and USD 5.5 million around regenerative cattle ranching. These results provide input for decision makers in developing public policies to benefit society, nature, and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ecosystem services of urban trees in Laguna de San Baltazar, Puebla, Mexico, are determined through the use of i-Tree software. For that, the species and the allometric measurements of all the trees with a diameter of 5 cm or more were registered. The equivalent economic amount of the main pollutants removed calculated by the program, was determined using the registered data and the native parameters associated to its data base. Environmental services rise to $592,200.00 pesos per year, 73% of which are derived from the removal of pollutants. A baseline is established for this site and the knowledge regarding to the use of this tool is expanded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Free-flowing rivers (FFRs) provide valuable ecosystem services to society, but the construction of dams threatens to negatively impact many of these ecosystems worldwide by 2050. Economic valuation of FFRs can be an effective tool to make informed decisions about water resources management. Valuation of FFRs can be achieved through techniques such as contingent valuation in situations where markets do not exist. To better understand the influence of sociodemographic factors and social values on the willingness to pay (WTP) for the conservation of an FFR in western Mexico, we conducted a face-to-face survey with 179 residents from two localities—one upstream and the other downstream. We used a generalized linear model (GLM) to determine which of the independent variables were significantly correlated with WTP. Our results indicated that age, gender, education, and socioeconomic level have a slight impact on WTP, but we found differences in river valuation between the two localities. We observed that perceived values including future value, life-sustaining, recreation, and economic value exerted a stronger influence on WTP. These findings emphasize the need to integrate local residents' holistic valuation of FFR into decision-making processes to protect these ecosystems for future generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ecosistemas y Recursos Agropecuarios is the property of Universidad Juarez Autonoma de Tabasco and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction: Provisioning ecosystem services (ES) provided by agroecosystems of family orchards (AEFO) refer to the tangible benefits that people obtain from the ecosystem. Although AEFO have been widely studied, few studies show their approach from an integral perspective, which incorporates biophysical and economic characteristics at the same time. Objective: To carry out an integral analysis of provisioning ecosystem services provided by agroecosystems of family orchards from State of Mexico. Methods: Information about provisioning ecosystem services (identification, uses, destination and income generation) were collected between March to December 2019 from three rural communities by involving 42 families with a family orchard using semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, species inventories, direct observation and field trips. Results: A sum of six provisioning ecosystem services were identified, which were associated to 212 species, distributed in 172 genera and 82 families. The main uses that the owners of the orchards gave to provisioning ES were ornamental (51 %), followed by food (39 %) and medicinal (32 %), where species such as Cymbopogon citratus, Persea americana, Punica granatum, Zea mays e Inga jinicuil, had the highest use values (U. V. = 4). The destination of the production was self-consumption, sale and exchange, being the first the main survival strategy used by households. Sale of edible products in fresh, as well as their derivatives, represented an average gross income of 1 333.47 USD/year for the owners of the family orchards. Conclusions: Provisioning ecosystem services provided by family orchards seen as an important source of resources, which allow the households of rural communities classified in extreme poverty to cover multiple needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, Mexico, is a reference for sportfishing (SF). In this vein, a significant number of artisanal fishers from the communities surrounding Cerralvo Island-located 215 km from Los Cabos-have opted to offer SF as a tourist service in recent years. The SF has generated unevaluated economic activity in the area. Thus, stakeholders need to know this value to improve their management decision making. Therefore, this research aimed to make a valuation of the recreation service and factors that influence the demand of SF in Cerralvo Island and surrounding areas using the indirect travel cost method (TCM). For this purpose, 275 surveys were performed at the boat ramps in nearby towns. The estimated consumer surplus (EC) was USD 1,886 per visitor. Approximately 28,864 annual recreational sportfishing trips were recorded, so the total annual surplus was USD 54,437,504. The EC outperformed other national sites and was ?140% higher than the highest valuation made for Los Cabos, which presumably derived from the differences in costs (v. gr., fishing charter, lodging). These values suggest the opportunity for the development of this activity in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Chapingo Serie Ciencias Forestales is the property of Universidad Autonoma Chapingo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Ongoing discussion on new water legislation in Mexico emphasizes the need to consider the economic dimension of water. Using the net income change method, in this article the economic value of irrigation water is estimated for banana cultivation in the state of Tabasco, which is a tropical region with high rainfall. The main results show that irrigated farms are 34–37% more profitable than rainfed ones with similar revenue levels, with corresponding water values of 1.48–1.75 USD/m3. These values are a proxy of farmers’ maximum willingness to pay, and can be used to inform tariff reform. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Local communities have preferences and expectations regarding mangrove ecosystems that are typically underrepresented in valuation studies. Therefore, this study identifies how the local community of Mahahual (Mexico) perceives the ecosystem services provided by the mangrove forest and how these preferences differ between households. A survey was designed by one of the authors and local stakeholders building on previous knowledge and experts (local environmental research centre and non-governmental organisation Takata and its experts in biology and coastal conservation, ecotourism businesses' owners, and the mayor of the village). The survey is used to cover a wide range of ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, recreation and cultural activities as well as improved connectivity with local seagrass beds and coral reefs. Ecosystem services were specifically chosen by biologists and ecologists of the local NGO to perfectly reflect the local mangroves ecosystem. The small land area of the village, its low population and its rapid expansion offer a unique context, aiming at preserving the natural environment while keeping in mind that the main economy is based on tourism. While mangroves are greatly appreciated for the local protective services they provide such as coastal protection, local inhabitants also care about services that have a wider impact such as biodiversity and carbon sequestration. We find that the educational background of local inhabitants plays an important role in determining the importance of local ecosystem services and that information provision can help to counterbalance this effect. We also observe that preferences for specific ecosystem services differ based on how close residents live to the mangroves and to the coast, which accentuates the different needs and ideas of the households based on their local neighbourhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Latin America (LA) plays an important role in the global food supply and dedicates a significant part of its surface to croplands. Current losses of wild and managed pollinators are a threat to agricultural production because the productivity of many crops depends on entomophilous pollination; thus, consequences could be significant for the development of regional economies. We assess the current importance of pollination service for the main crops of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Uruguay, which represent approximately 74% of the total surface of LA. Our study focused on three aspects, i) analyses of crops with varying degrees of pollinator dependence in terms of the harvested area and its yield, ii) estimation of economic value attributed to pollinators (EEV) and the vulnerability of each crop category, iii) characterization of the pollinator services provided by managed bees. Regional-level analyses showed that 58% of crops have essential and high dependence levels on insect pollination. LA produced 228.1 million tons of food that can be attributed directly to insect pollination, and an additional 33.9 million tons corresponds to crops that are not directly used for human food. The total production economic value of all crops dependent on pollination was US$ 77.82 billion, of which the economic value attributable to insect pollination was US$ 22.95 billion. Industrial crops and fruits were the leading crop category in the value of entomophilous pollination, followed by beverages, vegetables, hybrid seeds, citrus, and nuts. Crops occupy an area of 64.8 million hectares, 80% of which is used for soybean production, a clear sign of poor agricultural diversification, with Chile and Mexico being the countries with the highest degree of diversification. We estimated that hybrid seeds, fruits, and beverages whose productivity reached 44 million tons, are the most vulnerable to pollinator decline with 90, 64, and 44% vulnerability ratios. Our valuation demonstrates the vulnerability of agrosystems production, socioeconomic, and ecological terms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The National Park Archipielago Espiritu Santo has been a site of conservation interest to federal agencies, research organization and NGOs, the interest reside on its wide biodiversity. Conservation actions were manifested in the late 70s through the first decade of the 21st century. Actions like include it into UNESCO World Natural Heritage Sites. Actually is the protected area with the major number of visitors in Baja California Sur, about 30 thousand, both nationals and foreigners. To demonstrate that the economic benefits are positive to visitors that perform recreational ecotourism, this research proposed to value the aquatic biodiversity of the site using the travel cost method by type of visitor. It is noted that there are different determinants that motivate a visit to the site for both domestic and foreign tourists. The estimates of individual consumer surplus or willingness to pay for access the site are 288 and 8 dollars for foreign and domestic tourist. The main point displayed by the research is that foreign visitors perceive a greater benefit for visiting the site than domestic tourist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Society depends on ecosystems to service its hydrological resources. This study's objective was an economic assessment of the La Paz aquifer. We used the Contingent Valuation Method (VCM) to estimate households' willingness to pay (WIT) to maintain their water supply. The results reveal that the daily consumption of water determines the WTP. This implies that households with higher consumption have lower WTP, whereas households that have rotating access to water have a higher WTP, compared with those with continuous flow of water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Natural regeneration entails trade-offs between regulating and provisioning services. • The economic value of regulating services is larger than of provisioning services. • ES trade-offs could be leveraged by compensating landholders losing provisioning ES. • Economic valuation methods including multiple values are more relevant for policy. • PES targeting secondary forests and carbon sinks can promote natural regeneration. Natural regeneration of secondary forests can be an important source of recovery of ecosystem services (ES) critical for humanity, especially for climate change mitigation and adaptation goals. However, natural regeneration entails synergies and trade-offs across ESs and across stakeholders. To evaluate these trade-offs, we assessed the economic value of four ESs along the course of a natural regeneration process of tropical dry forests of the Pacific Coast of Mexico, and examined how this can inform the design of Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes incentivizing forest restoration. We estimated the monetary value of two provisioning ESs –forest products and fodder for calves–, using contingent valuation and direct market valuation methods, and two regulating ESs –carbon stocks and carbon sinks– using the voluntary carbon market prices and the social cost of carbon. We assessed these ESs in four natural regeneration stages: pasture, young secondary forest (0 to 12 years of natural regeneration), intermediate secondary forest (between 12 and 25 years of natural regeneration), and old-growth forest (more than 25 years of natural regeneration or primary forests). Results indicate that throughout the course of the natural regeneration process, there are changes in the magnitude of the trade-offs between regulating and provisioning ESs. We find a clear trade-off between regulating and provisioning ESs in the early stages of natural regeneration. However, as secondary forests grow older provisioning ESs recover, creating synergies rather than trade-offs in later stages of natural regeneration. Our results suggest a PES aiming to increase climate regulation services should focus on the carbon sink potential of young and intermediate secondary forests, as this would provide the greatest additionality and mitigation. We also showed the relevance of using a portfolio of economic valuation methods that can include a wider range of values for understanding landholders' preferences. While with direct market valuation methods we found that young secondary forests have the lowest economic value as compared to other natural regeneration stages, contingent valuation showed that landholders value young secondary forests the most because of their potential – future – land use (i.e. the possibility of converting it back to pasture). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]