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Natural capital accounting requires exchange rather than welfare values, but lack of data and standards have encouraged practitioners to use different approaches (e.g. simple lookup table vs spatial modeling approaches). In this paper, we demonstrate how choice modeling data can provide simulated exchange values which are more robust than simple (fast track) valuation approaches for natural capital accounting. A survey of East of England residents collected the preferences for saltmarsh management and simulated exchange values, coherently linked with the ecosystem conditions. This approach is more informative for environmental local planning purposes. We claim that expanding the set of tools available for natural capital accounting can enhance management of ecosystem services and policy decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most hemiparasitic plants are generalists with a broad host range, but they grow better in the presence of some plant species than with others. In mixed communities of hosts, hemiparasites prefer some hosts over others, but it is not yet known if hemiparasite roots can distinguish between the roots of different plant species and show directed growth (host tropism). We performed host choice experiments, exposing seedlings of Rhinanthus alectorolophus in agar plates simultaneously to seedlings of grass and legume species known to be hosts of good or poor quality for the parasite, and measured directed root growth and haustoria formation. Parasite roots did not show directed growth towards the roots of a good compared to a poor host species within a host functional group. However, parasite roots grew more strongly in the direction of legume than grass roots. The probability to form haustoria with host roots did not differ between host species, and microscopy revealed that functional haustoria were formed even with a very poor host, the grass Anthoxanthum odoratum. Our results show that growth experiments in agar plates are a suitable approach to study early host choice of hemiparasites. Our finding that hemiparasites can (initially) form functional haustoria even with very poor hosts emphasizes that the quality of a plant species as a host depends on several independent processes, including early host recognition, haustoria formation, resource supply and competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small lakes provide substantial ecosystem services to society, particularly recreational services. These ecosystem services are rarely quantified. It is also unclear whether expectations about desired lake attributes by various user groups and the public at large align. In many landscapes most small lakes artificially originate from sand and gravel mining along highways and close to cities. Using a choice experiment, in samples from north-western Germany we quantified the ecological services provided by these so-called gravel pit lakes and investigated potential conflicts among the preferences of the public and anglers as a specific user group. The same visual choice sets were employed to assess the preferences for different recreational services as well as biodiversity attributes. We also tested whether the presence of anglers at the small gravel pit lakes affected how people from the public valued the services provided by the lakes. Both the public and the anglers valued the presence of endangered fish species and endangered other taxa positively, suggesting that improved conservation of biodiversity would benefit all users. The public and anglers varied in relation to the recreational uses desired at gravel pit lakes. The opportunity to swim was valued positively by the public and negatively by the surveyed anglers. Yet, the presence of anglers did not significantly reduce the value assigned to gravel pit lakes by the public, suggesting the co-existence of anglers and swimmers would be possible. Co-existence could be fostered through establishing separate angling and swimming zones. Our work suggests the presence of local trade-offs in the management of small gravel pit lakes, specifically between swimmers and anglers. However, conservation of endangered species constitutes a common goal that suits the expectations of all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conservation flagship approach is a valuable tool for raising funds and awareness, but species-based campaigns have been criticized for providing little benefit to wider biodiversity. One possible solution is to use conservation areas as flagships, but we lack data on the types of area that most appeal to potential donors. Here, we used an online choice experiment involving hypothetical overseas conservation areas to investigate how respondents value a series of conservation area attributes. We calculated the average willingness to pay for each attribute and assessed preference heterogeneity. Our results suggest that community ownership is valued the most, followed by the presence of threatened bird species, low current funding in the conservation area, the presence of charismatic mammals, and charity ownership. Respondents could be divided into three groups, based on their education, environmental organization membership and income. The group of respondents who were less wealthy and were members of environmental organizations were not willing to pay for this kind of conservation action, suggesting that flagship area campaigns targeted at them should encourage other types of involvement. The other two groups, which included respondents who were less engaged in conservation (neither group included environmental organization members, with one group less wealthy and less educated, and the other wealthier), found community ownership particularly appealing, suggesting that many potential donors may be driven by social concerns. This is a key finding and suggests flagship conservation areas could attract a new audience of donors, helping to support current global efforts to increase the management effectiveness, connectivity and extent of protected areas and land under other effective area-based conservation measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildlife‐friendly produce shows promise in addressing the disconnect between consumers' choices and the loss of biodiversity from agriculture. However, the scope of programs and their contribution to conservation remain limited. An improved understanding of specific markets, combined with auspicious scenarios, could address this. In Australia's Murray‐Darling Basin, rice fields support the largest known breeding population of the Australasian bittern, a globally endangered waterbird. We surveyed 1478 Australian consumers about their values for "bittern‐friendly" rice. To help support successful bittern breeding, consumers' mean willingness‐to‐pay for a 1‐kg product, normally $3.00, was $4.12—a premium of 37%—while the inferred valuation for their nearest neighbor was $3.79, a 26% premium. In a choice experiment, rice directly sourced from bittern‐friendly rice growers attracted the highest premium, approaching 200%, but conventional rice with indirect support for bittern‐friendly growers was also highly valued. Consumers valued endorsement and certification labels from all organizations more than individual ones, and would pay additional premiums for reduced pesticide use or organic products. Feasibility of broad‐scale, consumer‐funded incentive programs is emphasized by an engaging narrative and a supportive, cohesive rice industry. Similar opportunities likely exist where consumers can be central to endangered species conservation, expanding wildlife‐friendly farming coverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Family firms are the foundation of economies across the world. Yet, little is understood about what motivates sustainability in these firms, particularly in developing economies. In this study, we examine family forestry and tourism firms in Chile and India and use a novel stated-choice method to understand preferences for sustainability and the trade-offs with profit maximization, law and regulation, and family relations (among others). There were heterogeneous preferences across the sample, with respondents favoring financial outcomes and viewing regulation negatively. Respondents preferred positive environmental impacts, and this was significantly favored by tourism firms. Forestry firms were particularly focused on maintaining satisfactory family relationships, where there was stronger family involvement in the firm's management decisions. Indian respondents were more likely to prefer the expansion option in the choice study (financial outcomes), while Chileans preferred the eco-labeling choice (sustainability), suggesting more supportive sustainability norms in Chile. Chileans were more likely to exceed legal compliance in their choice selection and favored positive environmental impacts more. Overall, tourism firms were larger in terms of revenues and favored the eco-labeling choice with positive environmental impacts but with minimal regulations, while forestry favored expansion. These differences may be driven by the resources available to tourism firms for supporting sustainability measures and the importance of sustainability to their business models. Policies to support sustainability among family firms must account for their heterogeneity and must provide supports and incentives rather than regulations to facilitate sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Are we able to determine the existence value output generated for society through the preservation of wild species threatened with extinction? In this article we defend the theory that the service of preserving threatened species with risk of extinction is an existence value output with a hidden transaction price if it can be established that there are consumer or state willingness to pay an additional tax above the government total cost to avoid an increase in one threatened species in relation to the number recorded at the opening of the accounting period. This output is estimated by adding the total cost and the additional consumer tax which the consumers state that they are willing to pay through a choice experiment survey. Our refined monetary System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (rSEEA) extends the existence value output concept and valuation principles recommended by the United Nations. In this paper, this rSEEA was applied to Pinus pinea forests in protected as well as non-protected areas of Andalusia, Spain in 2010. The results show that the net value added from protected areas is 40% higher than that from non-protected areas. It is incidental that the environmental benefits in both areas coincide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discontentment with a piped supply system of drinking water has become a significant concern in Bangladesh's urban areas in recent years, necessitating the improvement of different aspects of the system in question. Therefore, by conducting a discrete choice experiment on 115 households out of a systematically selected 161 households, this study aims to estimate the willingness to pay (WTP) for an improved safe drinking water supply by considering the trade-offs made by urban dwellers for the proposed improvements to an existing water supply system in the Khulna City Corporation (KCC) area of Bangladesh. The primary results show that the total WTP of households is estimated at BDT 243.6 (≈US$ 2.87) per month, implying that respondents are ready to pay for improvements to the water supply attributes of water quality, regularity of supply, water pressure in taps, and filtering. A revenue stream for an improved water supply system is also being developed, suggesting that investment in improving the system would be a ‘no-regret’ decision and economically sustainable. Highlights This study presents the estimation of willingness to pay (WTP) for pure drinking water supply in a coastal urban area in Bangladesh.; This study deployed a choice experiment method to estimate urban dwellers’ WTP for safe drinking water supply.; We also present a revenue stream of supplying pure drinking water denoting that investment in supply system development would be a ‘no-regret’ decision.;

Organic farming plays an important role in sustainable development. Advances in organic farming can be based on consumer preferences and, therefore, it is important to determine how consumers prefer organic products in moving towards sustainable agricultural development. Choice experiment (CE) is a stated-preference approach to evaluate consumer preferences. Some respondents may not take into account all attributes in the process of CE, thereby causing heterogeneity in collective respondent behavior. The present study uses the “Endogenous Attendance Attributes (EAA)” model which considers heterogeneity in consumer behavior towards selecting organic tea. The analysis was performed according to the preferences of several participants who were selected randomly among consumers of organic tea. The conditional logit and EAA models generated results, along with the calculated coefficients of the attributes of organic tea. Ultimately, these values appeared compatible with consumer preferences for organic tea. Consumers varied in their willingness to pay for organic tea, as revealed by the two models.

The reliable and renewable Electricity services have a substantial contribution to the environment, economy, and social cohesion. Nevertheless, in developing countries like Ethiopia, electricity services are irregular and unreliable. The study aims to analyze households' preference for reliable electricity services using primary data collected from 210 sample households in Hosanna and Durame towns of Southern Ethiopia. The households' preferences were analyzed using the choice experiment valuation technique. The study used both Conditional and Mixed Logit models to estimate the mean and marginal Willingness to Pay (WTP) for the attributes. The result suggests that households are willing to pay 230.84 ETB ($8.34), 229.34 ETB ($8.2), 2230 ETB ($8.3), and 230 ETB ($8.26) per month for improvement scenario one, two, three and four respectively in addition to the current monthly charge. Hence, the government should heavily invest in improving electricity transmission and distribution capacity besides upscaling the generation capacity.

Abstract Several studies have focused on the behaviour of consumers towards organic wine, finding varying and sometimes conflicting results. Some scholars have noted that consumers may perceive wine labelled as organic to be of a lower quality, whereas others have found that consumers are willing to pay a premium price for it. Starting from these discrepancies found in the literature, this study seeks to investigate how the organic certification influences consumers when purchasing a bottle of red wine, evaluating the possible presence of attribute non-attendance (ANA) behaviour. A choice experiment was carried out on a sample of Italian wine consumers. Findings highlight that although, on average, consumers do not prefer organic wine, there is a relevant niche in the market consisting of consumers who benefit from purchasing it. Moreover, we have found that the majority of the sample ignores the organic attribute when choosing a bottle of wine, which reveals ANA behaviour.

Gender determination in incubated eggs (in ovo) has the potential to substitute the highly discussed practice of culling male layer chicks. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect pictures have on peoples' preferences toward in ovo sexing at different stages of embryonic development and chick culling. For this purpose, an online survey was conducted with a representative sample of 482 respondents in Germany. A within-subject design with 2 choice experiments was used to investigate the influence pictures have on respondents' preferences and willingness to pay. The first-choice experiment contained plain text only; the second contained also pictures of a chick or the incubated eggs at the corresponding stages of development. Findings reveal that in ovo gender determination at each proposed day of incubation (d1, d4, and d9) was preferred to chick culling. In ovo screening on d1 and d4 was significantly preferred to d9. This preference for early gender determination increased significantly as a consequence to the provision of pictures. Results furthermore reveal that a high error rate of gender determination or the lack of a meaningful utilization of incubated eggs can decrease approval for in ovo gender determination to an extent, where no positive willingness to pay remains. Findings of this study are useful for stakeholders in poultry production when considering the implementation of in ovo gender determination as a morally admissible substitute to chick culling.

The aims of conservation and economic prosperity for people living near protected areas have rapidly acquired prominence as a viable strategy for global biodiversity protection. To identify potential local enterprise improvement, we examine how rural communities adopt integrated conservation and development programs. Choice experiments are used to establish villagers' preferences for conservation incentives. The incentive structure as well as attitudes regarding ecosystem services are being investigated. The latent class technique was used to estimate preference parameters, which resulted in two segments that accounted for villager heterogeneity. These segments were discovered through program restrictions, each with different resource usage, time spent, and compensation. Members of the more restrictive program desire a higher reward for participation in one program over another. Attitudes toward provisioning and regulating ecosystem services influence their engagement. The findings show that the younger generation is open to less restrictive programs and sharing resources to boost community enterprises. They are prepared to forego a few hours of farming in exchange for conservation actions. Programs that allow for flexibility in conservation regulations and other program features may be the most effective way to encourage more people to participate in conservation programs while also satisfying community goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the number of graduates with a bachelor's degree has risen over recent years, little information is available as to which position such persons hold within an establishment and whether they compete on the career ladder with persons from the vocational sector with advanced further training, for example master craftsmen, technicians or certified senior clerks. This article presents the results of a choice experiment in which decision makers at German establishments had to choose between three candidates to fill a vacant project management position. The candidates had completed either advanced further training or a bachelor's programme in dual courses of study (training- or practice-integrated). They further differed in other characteristics, such as the place of training, final mark, occupational experience and specialisation. The results show that the training strategy of the establishments as well as their general experience with bachelor's graduates plays an important role when the chances of career advancement are assessed. Persons with advanced further training certificates are only preferred if the establishments exclusively support advanced training programmes. For all other establishments the qualification path of the candidates does not matter. The results give rise to the supposition that dual higher education studies will represent an attractive alternative for young people as opposed to advanced further training if such dual programmes are expanded and awareness of them increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The valorization of plant genetic resources and their direct use in local markets can make a significant contribution to the preservation of agrobiodiversity, while also contributing to the sustainability of rural communities. Indeed, plant genetic resources are a precious source of genes, and they represent an important crop heritage for the quality and sensory characteristics that are required by both farmers and consumers. However, an efficient strategy of agrobiodiversity conservation is strictly connected to product marketability and to consumer preferences. In the present study, choice experiments that involved 920 consumers were carried out to determine their willingness to pay for ancient local tomato varieties (landraces) rather than commercial varieties based on their preferences, and to determine how much they valued these products. The results obtained indicate that consumers are willing to pay premium prices for ancient local tomato varieties (an additional €0.90 kg−1), thus demonstrating their increasing attention to sustainable food and the willingness to contribute to agrobiodiversity conservation and enhancement. These results provide the basis for planning strategies and programs to support the cultivation of these landraces and the development of regional and national markets to acknowledge their characteristics, which will considerably increase the effectiveness and efficiency of conservation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study estimated an average Californian's preference over a variety of attributes provided by Master Planned Communities (MPC) – (1) Access to Natural Park & Urban amenities, (2) Access to HOA amenities, (3) Frequency of Social Gatherings and (4) Landscape Aesthetic. The study estimated conditional logit (CL), 2-class latent class (2 C-LCM) and 2-class latent class–random parameter models (2 CLC-RPM), to explore respondents' varying preferences over those services, and found that people in our sample perceived the above-mentioned attributes as positive amenities, although the frequency of social gatherings provided by communities was viewed as the least important amenity. The results also showed that younger and relatively wealthier respondents were more likely to value MPC-driven services higher than their older and poorer counterparts. Also, the results from 2 CLC-RPM with attitudinal membership variables show that people in MPC-lover class tend to believe building MPCs promote school quality and opportunities for social gatherings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addresses differentiation among small-scale farmers' preferences for green agriculture policy incentive mixes. Transforming modern agriculture to ecological fertilization and pest extermination practices is paramount in developing green agriculture, but policy incentives aimed at stimulating small-scale farmers' adoption of ecological fertilization and deinsectization techniques are often challenged by those farmers' heterogeneous characteristics and their consequent mixed incentive preferences. We establish a model examining the interplay between small-scale farmers' characteristics (e.g., age, education level, family size, participation in agricultural organization) and combinations of incentive policies (i.e., green subsidy, technical support, environmental propaganda, agricultural insurance) in farmers' willingness to participate in ecological fertilization/deinsectization, using a sample of 1032 Chinese farmers. By applying a mixed logit model and latent class model regressions, we find that farmers' age, education level, family size, and farming organization participation are the most important characteristics influencing farmers' preferences. Specifically, senior farmers tend to accept an incentive policy combination of green subsidy and technical support; farmers with higher education levels prefer an incentive policy combination of technical support and environmental propaganda; and larger families prefer an incentive policy combination of technical support and agricultural insurance. Additionally, participation in any agricultural organization reduces the household's preference for incentive policy combinations of technical support, agricultural insurance, and green subsidy. Based on these findings, a typology of small farmers' green agriculture incentive preferences (including security, monetary, and autonomy orientations) is proposed, offering suggestions for future green agriculture policy optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) has introduced economic principles for water resource management, including the environmental cost recovery on the basis of the polluter pays principle (PPP). Agriculture, as a potential driver of pressures on water bodies, can produce environmental costs. However, the use of water in agriculture can produce ecosystem services (ES), especially through the aquatic systems of the traditional irrigation agro-ecosystem. This work presents a case study of monetary estimation of some ES of aquatic ecosystems linked to irrigation, i.e. irrigation canals and fontanili in Lombardy (Italy). Through the choice experiment method, we obtained positive values of willingness to pay for the highest levels of ES analysed. This has an implication in the context of the economic analysis of water uses and the decision-making process within the interventions planning of irrigation efficiency improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offers a portfolio of flood risk mitigation options for high-risk homeowners, hoping to reduce flood damages. Buyout (home acquisition) and home retrofit (e.g., home elevation) are candidates available to homeowners. FEMA has recently amended and increased its buyout efforts. This study examines homeowners' stated preference for buyout and home elevation contracts using survey data. Results indicate multiple factors influence the decision to participate in home acquisition and elevation programs. Importantly, we find that preferences vary with the timing (whether the contract is offered before or after a damage event) of the contract offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increase in disasters due to climate change, there has been a growing interest in green infrastructures that utilize nature for disaster risk reduction (DRR). However, green infrastructures cannot completely protect against hazards. Therefore, this study investigates the public preference in Japan for DRR and its uncertainty using a survey-based choice experiment. The results showed that benefits were obtained from the increase in "success probability", "reduction in human damage", "reduction in property damage", and "reduction in indirect damage"; however, the benefits obtained from additional improvements diminished. Moreover, the results of our analyses revealed that preferences for DRR and its uncertainty were heterogeneous among respondents, and the population segment that includes more women, older people, and more people who live in areas that may be directly affected by floods had higher ratings for "success probability" and relatively slightly lower ratings for "reduction in indirect damage". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A healthy-nutrient wine has been recently developed by Apulian wineries (southern Italy), using autochthonous wine grapes cultivars, selected strains and specific processes of production. As such, this research elicits Italian wine consumers' preferences towards this innovative Apulian wine with regard to additional labelling information associated with health-nutrients and the origin of grapes on the bottle of wine. For this purpose, a social survey based on the choice experiment approach is considered. The results reveal a heterogeneity of preferences among respondents for which the origin of wine grapes cultivars is the most appreciated (an average Willingness-to-Pay of EUR 6.57), thereby inducing an increase in their function utility, while the health-nutrients attribute is relatively less appreciated (an average Willingness-to-Pay of EUR 3.95). Furthermore, four class consumers' cluster profile have been identified in respect to their: (i) behavior and propensity to wine consumption and purchase, (ii) health-claims importance on the wine bottle label, (iii) socio-economic characteristics and (iv) health conditions. This paper has marketing and public implications and contributes to an understanding of how additional information on the label of a wine bottle may affect the market-segmentation, influence wine consumers' utility, protect their health and increase their level of awareness to wine ingredients labelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile money is an important instrument to improve the degree of financial inclusion, especially in developing countries. However, having a mobile money account does not imply that this account is actually used. In our sample, 86% of microentrepreneurs own a mobile money account, but only 49% actively use it – the resulting gap indicates unmet opportunities. We estimate that mobile money reaches up to 40% of those without prior access to (semi-)formal financial services, still leaving a substantial group behind in which women and the most disadvantaged are overrepresented. A choice experiment shows that high fees hinder mobile money usage for a substantial number of microentrepreneurs. Moreover, insufficient physical infrastructure, i.e. a small number and unfavourable spatial distribution of mobile money agents, also limits access, while a lack of financial education seems to contribute to comparatively low price sensitivity. Based on these results, we suggest policy measures that reduce the remaining barriers limiting the contribution of mobile money to financial inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the first study to use discrete choice experiment in exploring the stated choice preference of blended learning preference among the university students in the context of Bangladesh. As a prerequisite in developing student engagement learning strategies, we investigate the choice preference of university students towards different types of blended learning to explore relevant concerns and challenges in order to plan for successful implementation of this option. Around 306 responses from the students belonging to Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) and North South University (NSU) are considered representing both public and private universities in Bangladesh. Conditional logit model is used to explore the choice preference of the respondents based on the attributes. We find that university students explicitly dislike recorded videos as the primary mode of instruction as there is minimum human interaction using this method. Students with mobile internet also prefer offline classes to online classes, whereas students with broadband internet prefer the opposite choices. The policy implications of these findings hold global relevance in devising student engagement strategies towards blended learning such as for other developing economies in South Asia which were forced to transition to online learning as an adaptation response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Practitioner Notes 1. This is the first study to use discrete choice experiment in exploring the stated choice preference of blended learning preference of the university students in the context of Bangladesh. 2. We apply Conditional logit model is used to explore the choice preference of the respondents based on the attributes. 3. Our sample includes 306 responses belonging to Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) and North South University (NSU). 4. We find that university students explicitly dislike recorded videos as the primary mode of instruction as there is minimum human interaction using this method. 5. Students with mobile internet also prefer offline classes to online classes, whereas students with broadband internet prefer the opposite choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we perform a choice experiment assessing the impact of stay‐at‐home policies on individual welfare. We estimate the willingness to accept compensation (WTA) for restricting non‐working hours in Sweden during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The WTA for a one‐month stay‐at‐home policy is about US$480 per person, or 9.1 percent of Sweden's monthly per capita GDP. Stricter lockdowns require disproportionately higher compensation than more lenient ones, indicating that strict policies are cost‐effective only if they are much more successful in slowing the spread of the disease. Moreover, older people have a higher WTA of staying home than the rest of the population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We designed and implemented a discrete choice experiment to assess how information about the health, environmental, and economic benefits of locally produced aquaculture products affect Connecticut consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for products produced in the state, as compared with products from another state or another country. We find that information about local economic benefits tended to increase WTP for Connecticut-grown and -raised products, whereas information about health, safety, and the environment tended to decrease WTP for products from other regions. We also explore heterogeneous effects of the information treatments by respondent gender, education, and income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigating community preferences about natural forest parks ecological services and determining their economic value is a useful method for planning and managing them. The purpose of this study is to the economic valuation of Chaldarreh Forest Park ecological services in Tonekabon County, Mazandaran province, Iran. Research data were collected by field survey, and random sampling by completing a Choice Experiment questionnaire by 135 visitors to Chaldarreh Forest Park. In this study, the willingness to pay of individuals for forest ecosystem conservation was estimated by the Choice Experiment method and conditional logit model. Also, a multinomial logit model was used to investigate the effect of socioeconomic variables on the willingness to pay. In this study, willingness to pay each household for the conservation of ecological services in the region, including the attributes of plant species conservation, animal species conservation, water protection and soil protection from the status quo to the improvement situation, respectively, equal to 21560.15, 15880.47, 47440.6 and 21180.85 Iranian rials per month have been estimated. Water protection was the most important ecological attribute of Chaldarreh Forest Park known to the respondents. Also, the final willingness to pay each household for the conservation of ecological services of Chaldarreh Forest Park was estimated to be 106080.07 Rials per month. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, human–wildlife conflict (HWC) is a burning issue, which the conservationists have attempted to address through various conservation strategies. One of the widely adopted strategies is the provision of compensation for the loss caused by wildlife. The existing mechanism of compensation in Nepal is time-consuming and insufficient. This study, therefore, attempts to assess the feasibility of a community-based insurance scheme (CBIS), which is expected to be time-efficient with no additional burden to farmers. The CBIS scheme is an insurance mechanism to be operated by a locally elected committee and provides compensation to the premium paying farmers only. The study was carried out in the Jhapa District of Nepal, one of the most affected districts by wild elephants. We conducted a household survey using a questionnaire for 509 respondents from the five most affected villages. We chose a choice experiment to determine the preferences of respondents for CBIS. Four activities including compensation for crop damage, and human casualties (serious injuries and death), and fence management were selected under the CBIS. The regression analysis revealed that only the compensation for crop damage was statistically significant. The estimated annual crop damage caused by elephants was worth USD 1.49 million. The estimated premium exceeded the expected insurance payout, indicating the suitability of the scheme. The estimated premium was USD 0.38 per hectare for a 1% increase in damage payout. The total annual premium would be USD 0.136 million for a 25% payment of the damage, while the expected annual insurance payout would be USD 77,788. The annual premium can be lower if the government allocates the budget for the CBIS, out of the existing relief distribution program. The engagement of local municipalities in the CBIS management can make the scheme more viable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Dried fish is the most common processed fish consumed in Sri Lanka. The country imports dried fish since local production only satisfies 61% of the demand. Local producers face marketing challenges because of the low price they receive. This may cause by non-compliance with product quality standards. However, there is a lack of empirical information on consumer behavior for dried fish. Therefore, the study focused on estimating consumers' willingness to pay for the key features considered when purchasing dried fish and determining their preference. The study was a consumer survey comprising 180 households, divided 60 households into each of the urban, rural, and estate sectors in Galle District, including a choice experiment. The results indicate that the average weekly consumption of dried fish per capita in Galle is 115.2 g, with no significant difference between sectors (p>0.05). Sprat is the most preferred species in all sectors, followed by Yellowfin tuna in urban and rural areas and Bigeye scads in estates. Smell and appearance are the key organoleptic features that the consumers considered while over 50% preferred dried fish with a fresh and well-dried appearance. The results of the Choice experiment showed that the consumers preferred locally produced, sun-dried, quality-certified dried fish. Urban and rural consumers are willing to pay an extra amount of SLR 374.21 and 325.89 respectively for 100 g of quality certified dried fish compared to non-certified. Therefore, the study recommends that producers should encourage to obtain quality certifications by providing financial, educational, and technological support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To mitigate the environmental harm associated with the disposal of polyethylene (PE) (plastic) mulches after use—incineration, dumping at landfills, tilling into the soil, and onsite stockpiling—biodegradable plastic mulches (BDMs) are proposed as an environmentally friendly alternative. These mulches are designed to degrade in the field, thereby reducing negative impacts. We conducted discrete choice experiments to evaluate willingness to pay (WTP) for BDM attributes using data collected from a survey of stakeholders in the agricultural sector (e.g., farmers, crop advisors, educators, and others) in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Results obtained using a mixed logit model show that respondents assign the greatest value to BDM attributes that provide a price premium opportunity for the product grown, improve soil health, or reduce field-borne residue, thereby enhancing sustainability. We found heterogeneity in preferences for the attributes of plastic residue and soil health: the cost of BDMs is more important to nonfarmers and noncrop advisors, whereas soil health is more of a concern for crop advisors. In addition, respondents who are less risk averse and less sensitive to cost are more willing to adopt BDMs. Results from this study have implications regarding the best ways to introduce and support sustainable practices as a part of green technology in the agricultural sector, particularly for new BDM products.

Abstract This study investigated the consumers’ preference and willingness to pay for enriched snack product traits. Using a choice experiment framework, we generated 8400 observations from a random sample of 700 respondents in Shashamanne and Hawassa city administrations. Taste parameters and heterogeneities were estimated using the generalized multinomial logit (G-MNL) model. The results reveal nutrition and/or health claim labeling is the most influential trait on the consumers’ decision to buy enriched snack products followed by mango flavor, sorghum chickpea main ingredient, price, and mixed shape. The WTP estimates show that consumers are willing to pay a premium for nutrition and/or health claim labeling equal to 1.43, 1.6, and 8.03 times higher than for a change in the flavor of the products from tomato to mango, the improvement of main ingredients to sorghum chickpea, and change of the product shape from spherical to mixed shape, respectively. The heterogeneities (variations) around the mean taste parameters were partially explained by sex, family size, and educational levels of the respondents. Generally, the consumers in the study areas prefer buying sorghum chickpea main ingredients, a combination of different shapes (mixed shape), mango flavored, and nutrition and/or health claim-labeled enriched snack products. Therefore, we suggest designing and implementing innovative ways of promoting snack products to urban communities with a deliberate focus on these traits to create a snack with the best combination. Given the high literacy of urban consumers and influential role of nutrition and/or health claim labeling trait on consumers’ decision, the trait-based promotion and marketing of the products constitute the right strategy.

The existence of tradeoffs and synergies between ecosystem services emphasize the need to understand the preferences of ecosystem service beneficiaries. In this paper, the preferences of ecosystem services provided by different types of urban forests in South Korea are analyzed to provide insights on the improved distribution and supply of ecosystem services. The Delphi technique was utilized to elicit expert opinions on the categorization of ecosystem services provided by urban forests. A choice experiment on 500 Seoul citizens was then conducted to analyze the preferences for 7 types of ecosystem services – food provision, water flow regulation, noise reduction, microclimate regulation & air quality improvement, moderation & prevention of landslides, biodiversity enhancement, recreation, and health services. An AHP analysis was carried out to investigate experts’ ranking of the relative importance of these ecosystem services. The results showed that except for microclimate regulation & air quality improvement, Seoul citizens’ preferences for different types of urban forests did not differ according to the attribute level of each ecosystem service. There were also no significant differences between the preferences for urban natural parks and urban neighborhood parks, possibly indicating that Seoul citizens perceive them to be similar. Secondly, the results indicate a higher preference for urban forests with certain features, such as a higher proportion of fruit trees and deciduous trees, higher leaf area, denser tree canopy cover, wider distances between trees, and higher levels of species richness. The enhancement of biodiversity was considered the most influential service for Seoul citizens in their choice of urban forests. Seoul citizens were willing to pay 12,176 KRW/year and 21,036 KRW/year to enhance the level of biodiversity from “poor” to “average” and from “average” to “rich,” respectively. Finally, preferences and relative importance for almost all ecosystem services were different for citizens and experts. As it is impossible to maximize the provision of all ecosystem services concurrently, policymakers and urban forest managers need to consider citizens’ preferences and opinions when designing and managing urban forests in order to increase user satisfaction and welfare.

Purpose – This paper reviews the current literature on theoretical and methodological issues in discrete choice experiments, which have been widely used in non-market value analysis, such as elicitation of residents' attitudes toward recreation or biodiversity conservation of forests. Design/methodology/approach – We review the literature, and attribute the possible biases in choice experiments to theoretical and empirical aspects. Particularly, we introduce regret minimization as an alternative to random utility theory and sheds light on incentive compatibility, status quo, attributes non-attendance, cognitive load, experimental design, survey methods, estimation strategies and other issues. Findings – The practitioners should pay attention to many issues when carrying out choice experiments in order to avoid possible biases. Many alternatives in theoretical foundations, experimental designs, estimation strategies and even explanations should be taken into account in practice in order to obtain robust results. Originality/value – The paper summarizes the recent developments in methodological and empirical issues of choice experiments and points out the pitfalls and future directions both theoretically and empirically.